Local Poet Salon

Celebrate National Poetry Month at OMP with an evening full of readings and mingling with local poets! Each poet will do a short reading, followed by time to mingle and book signings.

About the poets:

Sojourner “Hughes” Davidson is the owner of Tending Verses, LLC, a poetry commissions business formed in 2023. They have appeared in publications including Knee Brace Press, South Broadway Ghost Society, Wishbone Words Magazine, and new words {press}. Their debut poetry collection, “From the Yellow House and On” was published in 2023, and their most recent collection "Poems I shouldn't Write" came out in February, 2026.

Debora Ewing is a poet, artist, off-the-cuff author and editor. Her poetry and artwork are published in online and print literary magazines around the globe: Plainsongs by Hastings College Press, Dodging the Rain, Beyond Words, Creative Nonfiction, and Shot Glass Journal, to name a few. Her short fiction can be found at Jerry Jazz Musician. She peer-reviews for Consilience Poetry Journal and blog editor for Igneus Press.

Rev. Laura Martin serves as Associate Pastor at Rock Spring UCC in Arlington, Virginia.  Prior to ordination, Laura worked with families and individuals experiencing homelessness at New Hope Housing and Shelter House.  She is the recipent of the 2017 Moving Words Poetry Contest in Arlington, VA. Her most recent publication "Still: Poems for Meditation" was published in 2025.

Sunayna Pal's poetry graces the pages of numerous international journals, anthologies, museums, poetry festivals, textbooks, buses, and libraries, resonating with readers across the globe. Her debut book, Refugees in Their Own Country (B&W Fountain), tells the Partition of India in verse and illustrations. Her second book, Please Go to the Park (Bottlecap Press), is an invitation to embark on a journey of self-discovery. Beyond her
writing, Sunayna serves as the Director of The Poetry Academy and is dedicated to Heartfulness meditation.

Ashley M. Stephenson is an author, appellate advocacy and litigation specialist, legal and policy strategist, and the founder of Time to Rise Press, LLC — a publishing company devoted to helping writers bring their voices into the world. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, Attorney at Law Magazine, the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York, the D.C. Bar Blog Duly Noted, Paralegals Connect Magazine, Google News, and across multiple FOX, NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates. Her forthcoming poetry collection, Tapestry Threads: Life, Death, & Resilience, will be published in Spring 2026.

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