Freewrite Poetry Sessions with Indy Reads

Celebrate National Poetry Month with Indy Reads! Every Thursday evening in April, join Indy Reads and special guest local poets for an hour of freewriting poetry. We'll provide activities, prompts, and creative space to write with other writers. Bring your laptop, notebook, or just yourself and join the fun!

Join for any or all of the following dates:

Thursday, April 3 at 6pm with elle roberts

elle roberts (all pronouns) is a facilitator, artist, and writer with a “sharp oyster knife” in the words of Zora Neale Hurston. When elle is not running community programs at Indy Reads, they are almost always crying over their favorite poems by Black writers or attempting to write their own.

Thursday, April 10 at 6pm with Imani Jones

Imani Jones (they/them/theirs) is a neurodivergent and nonbinary, artist, poet, community builder, model, and lesbian. Imani’s artistry is rooted in a close connection to their identity, emotions and the continuous pondering of how expression allows them to navigate the world. Imani’s life’s art is to be a living, flawed, open, and honest example of what it means to be yourself, to build community out of a relational deficit, and to thrive within a system that is made to harm you and divert hope. Through their words and writing, Imani shows people how to release themselves from the mental and emotional strongholds that our systems have created.

Thursday, April 17 at 6pm with Scoot Swain

Scoot Swain is a poet and illustrator living in Indianapolis. She recently graduated from Butler University with her MFA in poetry, and she serves as the social media editor for Booth. She has published work with fellow poet Abby Johnson at the and is currently working on a manuscript of poetry comics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @scootswain.

Thursday, April 24 at 6pm with Sylvia Thomas

Sylvia Thomas is a poet and artist from Indianapolis, Indiana. For the last ten years, Sylvia has been sharing her poetry and music for the stage through her lens as a Queer, Transgender, and Intersex Hoosier (someone from Indiana, USA). She’s performed her work across the Midwest, the East Coast, Scandinavia, World Pride, EuroGames, the United Nations, the United States Capitol, and the Danish Parliament. She has three self-published works of poetry titled, DIVINE (2018), Twirl: A Collection of Poetry by a Queer and Transgender Hoosier (2021), and VIGIL (2023). Sylvia is an Artist and Public Life Resident with Big Car Collaborative in Garfield Park.

These events are recommended for participants age 16 and up.

At the end of the month, you're welcome to share your freewrite creations at Indy Reads Lit Stage open mic on Wednesday, April 30 at 6pm.

This event is Pay-What-You-Can. Here’s what your suggested donation can do for the Indy Reads community:

FREE – This ticket is for attendees that would like to attend this event and are unable to purchase a ticket. Indy Reads values our community and facilitators. We are proud to provide programming to all. Thank you for being a part of our community!

$10 – This donation covers the cost of one attendee to this event. Indy Reads strives to bring the very best programming to Fountain Square and all Hoosiers. Thank you for helping us to keep our quality programs accessible for all!

$20 – This donation covers the cost of two attendees to this event. If you are attending as an individual, your ticket at this level makes it possible for another who cannot afford a ticket to attend. It is only through the generosity of our community that we are able to support programs that enrich the lives of all Hoosiers. Thank you for your support!

Other – “Pay-What-You-Can” really does mean pay what you can. Indy Reads appreciates that every one of our community members is able to support our vision of 100% literacy for all in different ways. Whether you can pay $5 or $50, we are so excited to see you – and thank you for your support!

Host or Publisher Indy Reads