Sipping on Words: A Coffee House Poetry Reading

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCHD) presents “Sipping on Words: A Coffee House Poetry Reading” on Friday, May 27, at 5:00 pm at the Eureka Springs Coffee House, 11 North Main Street in downtown Eureka Springs. The event is part of the Eureka Springs May Festival of the Arts, made possible through a grant from the Eureka Springs Arts Council and the Eureka Springs City Advertising & Promotion Commission. Join us to celebrate the power and beauty of poetry and get inspired by readings from three diverse poets: C. Prudence Arceneaux, Susanna Childress, and Islaya Osiris.

C. Prudence Arceneaux, a native Texan, is a poet who teaches English and Creative Writing at Austin Community College, in Austin, TX. Her work has appeared in various journals, including Limestone, New Texas, Hazmat Review, Texas Observer, Whiskey Island Magazine, African Voices, andInkwell. She is the author of two chapbooks of poetry-- DIRT (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and LIBERTY.

Susanna Childress is the winner of the WCDH 2021 Real People fellowship. She holds a PhD in creative writing from Florida State University and a master's from The University of Texas at Austin. Her first collection of poetry, Jagged with Love, was awarded the Brittingham Prize in Poetry; her second collection, Entering the House of Awe, was published by New Issues Press and received the Society of Midland Authors Award. A collection of lyric essays titled "Extremely Yours" will be published with Awst Press in 2023. Her poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared or are forthcoming in Gulf Coast, Indiana Review, Idaho Review, Best American Poetry, The Rumpus, Missouri Review, Colorado Review, and Southern Review, among others. She is an associate professor at Hope College in Holland, Michigan.

Islaya Sirius Osiris is a non-binary multifaceted artist who currently resides in Fayetteville, AR. Best known for their wit that can turn pain into poetry, they self-published Static: Between the Layers on December 25, 2020. Static is one third poetry and two thirds self-advocacy with journal and art prompts followed by mantras to help with shadow work. Their pieces will make you cry, laugh, and question. Embracing the complexity that is existence, Osiris captures imaginations and encourages curiosity. Having been to seventeen countries and counting Osiris feels most comfortable in a new place where they can explore without being noticed. Finding abundant inspiration in the mundane and beauty in plain sight.

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollowis a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to nurture writers of all genres, backgrounds, and levels of experience in a supportive environment that builds community, energizes creative expression, stimulates new thinking, and optimizes productivity. Since opening its doors to writers in 2000, the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has made a lasting impact on the arts and literary communities hosting over 1,800 writers from 48 states and 13 countries. For more information, call Michelle Hannon or Jeanne Glass at (479)253-7444.