Poetry For Your Palate

Get ready for an evening where words and flavors collide! Join us in person to enjoy a unique experience that tantalizes your taste buds and your imagination. Whether you're a poetry lover or just curious, this event promises a vibe like no other. Bring your friends, your appetite, and your love for great poetry. Let’s make some memories!

Hosted by Hannah Lipman

Hannah Lipman is the Poet Laureate of Bethel, Connecticut (2026–2028). She is a poet and community arts advocate who hosts monthly Poetry Open Mics and Writing Workshops, along with other programs that create space for voices to be heard and shared. Her debut collection, Lessons from the Wind, will be released in 2026. Follow her at @bethelpoetlaureate on Facebook and Instagram for upcoming events.

Featured Poets

Brian Clements is a CSU Professor of Creative and Professional Writing at Western Connecticut State University and the author or editor of numerous volumes of poetry, including Bullets into Bells: Poets and Citizens Respond to Gun Violence and his most recent book of prose poems, A Book of Common Rituals.

Barb Jennes, Poet Laureate Emerita of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is an award-winning poet and author whose work weaves together nature, spirituality, and the human experience, inviting reflection, connection, and a deeper sense of presence.

Katherine E. Schneider is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Northeast Coast literary journal and press, and serves as the Poet Laureate of Norwalk, Connecticut (2025–2027). She is the author of two poetry collections: I Used to Remember the Story of How (2019) and Breaking the Fever (2026).

Rick Magee is the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Bethel, Connecticut, and a professor of English at Sacred Heart University. A published poet and author of Green Latitudes, he is deeply committed to fostering a love of poetry in both the classroom and the community.

Cheryl Panosian, Danbury’s first Poet Laureate, is a poet and licensed psychotherapist whose work has appeared in various journals. Her poetry draws on her Armenian heritage and explores themes of family, nature, and social issues.

Susan Marie Powers lives in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner where she is surrounded by birdsong and towering trees. She devoted her life to teaching, and her students made her laugh and, in general, enriched her life. You will find her poems in the Orenaug Mountain Journal, Sixfold Magazine, and Tiferet among other venues. Her recent poetry collection, Gather Your Chi (Metaphysical Fox Press, 2025) explores the interface between human life and the natural world.