Blood Jet Reading Series

Join us as we welcome visiting poets: Vanessa Couto Johnson and Colin Pope followed by the open mic

by Donation
BYOB

Bios:

Vanessa Couto Johnson is the author of pungent dins concentric, her first full-length book (Tolsun Books, 2018). “Try the yen relish,” a sixteen-page prose poem sequence, is in BoxSet vol. 1 from Oxidant | Engine. Foundry, Softblow, Thrush, Field, Blackbird, and other journals have featured her poetry. She is the author of three chapbooks, most recently speech rinse (Slope Editions’ 2016 Chapbook Contest winner). A Brazilian born in Texas (dual citizen), she is currently a Lecturer at Texas State University, where she earned her MFA.

Colin Pope grew up in the Adirondacks. His debut poetry collection, Why I Didn’t Go to Your Funeral, was released in May 2019, and his manuscript Prayer Book for an American God was a finalist for the 2018 Louise Bogan Award and the 2019 St. Lawrence Award. His poems, essays, and criticism have appeared or are forthcoming in Slate, Rattle, The Cortland Review, Best New Poets, Ninth Letter, The Millions, and others, and he’s the recipient of two Academy of American Poets prizes. Colin is a PhD candidate at Oklahoma State University and serves on the editorial staffs of Cimmaron Review and Nimrod International.