Lines Spun Poetic: A Poetry Reading At White Lilac

Lines Spun Poetic arrives at The White Lilac as something intimate, unfiltered, and alive in the room. Curated and hosted by Haley Valenta, this is a night where six distinct voices braid together stories of love, loss, identity, humor, memory, and survival—spoken not at you, but with you. No barriers, no distance—just language doing what it does best when it’s given space to breathe.

This isn’t a lecture. It isn’t a classroom. It’s a shared human moment—where science meets soul, where humor disarms, where vulnerability lands softly and sometimes hits hard. In a room this small, every word matters. Every pause matters. You’ll feel it.

Haley Valenta (Host)
Haley Valenta is a Wisconsin-based poet and author who uses her work to illuminate mental health with honesty and compassion. Drawing from deeply personal experiences—ranging from relationships to major depression—her writing resonates with authenticity and courage. A seasoned spoken word performer, Haley has brought her work to open mics, churches, and beyond. She is the author of four books, with two more on the way, and continues to build a body of work that connects, comforts, and confronts.

Thomas D. Carr, PhD
A vertebrate paleontologist and Associate Professor of Biology at Carthage College, Thomas D. Carr studies the growth and evolution of Tyrannosaurus rex—but his curiosity doesn’t stop at bones. As co-poet laureate of Racine County (2025–2026), he bridges science and art with striking originality. His program Dinosaurs for Poets! and his ongoing literary salon reflect a rare ability to make the ancient feel immediate. His poetry has appeared in Centrique, and he is currently completing a manuscript set for release in 2026.

Darleen Coleman
Darleen Coleman makes art, goes junking, and writes about both—with a voice that’s patient, observant, and quietly sharp. She writes the way she gardens: slowly, deliberately, and with a deep sense of time. A longtime member of the Kenosha Writers Guild since 2009, she has published several short stories and a poem, each one carrying the weight and wit of a life fully lived.

Karla
Karla found her voice on stage at her first open mic—and hasn’t let go since. Her work dives into romance, mental health, and LGBTQIA+ identity with openness and emotional clarity. A regular in the local scene, she’s been featured at Kenosha Creative Space, hosted the 2025 Dream Bash, and won “Best Vocal Variety” at the Battle of Everything. She’s currently performing across the region while preparing her debut poetry collection.

Joe Engel
A Kenosha native and former Poet Laureate (2020–2022), Joe Engel brings a grounded, working-class perspective to his writing. His poems and stories have appeared in journals across the country and beyond, and he served as Racine Writer in Residence in 2023. By day, he works as a custodian at Gateway Technical College—an honesty that carries into his work, where the everyday becomes quietly profound. His writing can be found at racinewir.com.

Kaitlyn Bolyard
Kaitlyn Bolyard works in the playful, subversive world of flarf—found poetry that reshapes language into something unexpected and often delightfully strange. She is the author of Strange Questions to Ask Librarians and teaches composition and literature at DePaul University and Carthage College. Her work challenges what poetry can be, finding beauty and meaning in the overlooked corners of language.

One night. Six voices.
Come be part of something that only exists once—and only here.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher KmacK Productions