Join us for an evening featuring poetry by Tupelo Press 30-30 Project and Conference Participants: Christine Beck, Katy Chrisler, D.G. Geis, Robert Okaji, Pamela Paek, and Ronnie K. Stephens.

Christine Beck was named the fifth Poet Laureate of West Hartford in May of 2015. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from Southern Connecticut State University and is the author of Blinding Light (Grayson Books, 2013) and I’m Dating Myself (Dancing Girl Press, 2015). Her second chapbook, Stirred, Not Shaken, is forthcoming from Five Oaks Press. She teaches poetry, creative writing and literature at The University of Hartford, Southern Connecticut State University, and in private workshops. She is a former president of the Connecticut Poetry Society and currently directs its monthly series at which poets moderate a discussion about a well-known poet at the Hartford Public Library. She is also a board member of Riverwood Poetry Series, which presents poetry and panel discussions about social justice issues.

Katy Chrisler received her MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has held residencies with Land Arts of the American West and 100 West Corsicana. Recent work of hers has appeared or is forthcoming in Tin House, Octopus Magazine, The Volta, and The Seattle Review. She currently lives and works in Austin, Texas.

D.G. Geis lives in Houston, Texas. He has an undergraduate degree in English Literature from the University of Houston and a graduate degree in philosophy from California State University. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in 491 Magazine, Lost Coast, Blue Bonnet Review, A Quiet Courage, SoftBlow International Poetry Journal, Blinders, Burningword Literary Journal, Crosswinds, Scarlet Leaf, and Sweet Tree, among others. He will be featured in a forthcoming Tupelo Press chapbook anthologizing nine new poets and is winner of Blue Bonnet Review’s Fall 2015 Poetry Contest. He is editor-at-large of Tamsen.

Robert Okaji lives in Austin with his wife, two dogs and some books. He is the author of the chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform (Dink Press), and a micro-chapbook, You Break What Falls (Origami Poems Project). His work has appeared in Boston Review, Hermeneutic Chaos, Mockingheart Review, Eclectica and elsewhere.

Pamela Paek is an educational research who acts, performs stand-up, and is adored by her 14-year old Goffin’s cockatoo, Chilly. Her poetry has been published in the Squaw Valley Review, GAMBA Zine, Aileron, Lynx Eye, and Apocalypse. She has her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in educational psychology, and a BA in both creative writing and applied mathematics from the University of California, San Diego.

Ronnie K. Stephens is a full-time English teacher. He has identical twins and a brand new baby that take up all the space in his chest. He is currently pursuing an MFA from Wilkes University. His first collection, Universe in the Key of Matryoshka, was published by Timber Mouse Publishing in 2014. His second collection will be released later this year.

d. ellis phelps, poet-novelist and painter, is the author of Making Room for George (Moon Shadow Sanctuary Press, forthcoming, 2016) and of the blog, formidable woman: toward a culture of gentleness. Her poetry, art, and essays appear online and in print, most recently in the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, Energy Magazine, Poet’s Billow (Bermuda Triangle Prize, 2015), and elsewhere.  She holds a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin.