First Fridays Poetry Reading Series & Open Mic w/ Stephen Schwei

First Fridays Reading Series and Open Mic is proud to feature Stephen Schwei with Wafa Shaikh opening on Friday, June 5, at Inprint House!

Stephen Schwei is a gay poet from Wisconsin, currently living in Houston. He has published one collection, Bluebonnet Whispers and a collaboration with Terry Jude Miller, Catch Me at the Carnival. He has had more than 100 individual poems published.

Come to the reading to get signed copies!

Learn more about Stephen at stephenschwei.com

Here’s a sample of Stephen’s work:

Moon Lovers

Why did I ever tie my lover to the moon?

Entangle him in all its phases.

Now its ascendency is his face,

its slow rise his and my history.

Just a sliver in a cloudless sky

as we began with tender hopes.

A thousand triggers on a thousand nights.

Promises of celestial guidance.

As it slumped on its back lazily,

we grew comfortable and in love.

Growing and brightening each night

towards the full moon in all its glory.

We struggled with distance and separation

musing if we saw the same moon

as our gaze fell upon it in unison

from two different earthly continents.

Some clouds, some clear nights,

it cycled many times before we faded.

He escaped its snares,

and embarked on a new journey.

The bright moon remains painted

with his smile and my tears.

All I want now is for the forever moon

to return to its still beauty.

(Published previously by New Reader Magazine)

Wafa Shaikh will be our opening Pop-Up poet.

Wafa Shaikh is a Pakistani-American writer and editor residing in Texas. She studied Creative Writing at Texas Christian University, where she was awarded the Sandra Brown Excellence in Literary Fiction Scholarship. Her writing explores the inevitable carrying of grief and love within womanhood and other tender effects of living. Wafa is the Director of Community & Operations at Rawhead Journal and co-founder of HTX LIT, now known as Vocable. A 2021 Glascock Poetry Contest nominee, her work has appeared in and . You can find her at @wafifi_ on Instagram.

Program:

• 7:00 Doors open (Come early to get a seat.)
• 7:30 Pop-up Poet Wafa Shaikh reads
• 7:40 Our Feature, Stephen Schwei reads
• 8:00 Short break (buy/sell/sign books)
• 8:15 Open mic

Accessible entrance in the back. Parking is limited, so plan accordingly.

Info: As always, we’ll end the evening with Houston’s longest-running open mic featuring some of Houston's best poetry!

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Host or Publisher First Friday Reading Series