Palm Beach Poetry festival returns
Books With Brunch will aid Broward library foundation
The new year kicks off with the Palm Beach Poetry Festival. The 14th annual festival is Jan. 15-20 at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach.
The festival features top poets at numerous ticketed public events, including readings, talks, interviews, panel discussions and more. Nine workshops will be offered, for which applications are required. Special guest poet will be Coleman Barks, considered to be the world’s leading expert on 13th-century poet Rumi, who is the founder of Sufism and likely namesake Beyoncé and Jay Z’s of one twins.
Other poets leading workshops include Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Chard deNiord, Beth Ann Fennelly, Ross Gay, Rodney Jones, Phillis Levin, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Tim Seibles. Individual conferences will be led by Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn and Nickole Brown. Slam champion Elizabeth Acevedo and performance poet Aja Monet will host an event. A special tribute to the late poet Thomas Lux will be held at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 20.
For more information about the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, visit palmbeachpoetryfestival.org. of Public Library Foundation. Caren Neile opens the 2018 series discussing her book “Florida Lore: The Barefoot Mailman, Cowboy Bone Mizell, the Tallahassee Witch and Other Tales” at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 25 at ArtServe, 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The event is free to foundation members at the $50 level and above; $25 for nonmembers. For reservations, visit bplfoundation.org/ book-withbrunch or call 954-357-7382.
Author and entrepreneur India Hicks will be the guest at the library foundation’s LitLUNCH at 11:15 a.m. Feb. 2 at the Mary N. Porter Riverview Ballroom, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. A former fashion model, Hicks is the author of “Island Life,” “Island Beauty” and “Island Style.” She also was a bridesmaid to Lady Diana Spencer at her wedding to Prince Charles, so there is bound to be at least one question about the upcoming Prince Harry and Meghan Markle nuptials. Tickets are $75; visit bplfoundation.org/ LitLUNCH-2018 for more information.
LitLUNCH is a kickoff for the foundation’s annual Literary Feast, which is scheduled for May 4 and 5. The multiaward winning Jong will discuss her work at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at Florida Atlantic University’s University Theatre, 777 Glades Road. Tickets are $20; visit fauevents.com or 561-297-6124. Jong’s event is presented by FAU’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and the Palm Beach Book Festival. months before the sisters’ assassinations. attorney determined to free two African-Americans wrongly imprisoned for murder. Block also is the author of the nonfiction “Disrobed: An Inside Look at the Life and Work of a Federal Trial Judge,” about how decisions are made on the federal bench.
Block will discuss “Race to Judgment” at 8 p.m. Jan. 9 at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables, 305-442-4408, and at 7 p.m. Jan. 12 at Murder on the Beach, 273 Pineapple Grove Way, Delray Beach, 561-279-7790, murderonthebeach.com. Block also will be one of the authors scheduled to appear at Sleuthfest, the nationally known writers’ conference, March 1-4 at the Embassy Suites, 661 NW 53rd St., Boca Raton. Visit sleuthfest.com for more information.