On Thursday, I had the pleasure of reading at the Doylestown Bookshop with fellow local poet Dawn Leas. We were invited back after reading there a few months ago. At the time, Doylestown did not have any steady poetry series going on, but now it does. Every third Thursday of the month, starting at 6:30 p.m., the store runs a poetry series that includes at least one featured reader and a limited open mic. I recommend that poets check this out because it has a nice built-in audience, mostly young people and some poets from around the Philly area that make their rounds at various open mics. The audience is also generally responsive and receptive, eager to talk about the poems after the reading concludes.

The bookstore also has a unique selection of books. Its poetry section includes a lot of chapbooks and full-length collections from local authors and smaller presses. Some of the only more well-known poets I saw on the shelf included Billy Collins, Robert Frost, and Tony Hoagland. Its other sections are also expansive.

If you’re looking for something to do in the Philly suburb area, I recommend stopping at the Doylestown Bookshop. You can also visit the quaint restaurants, bars, and cafes that line the streets downtown. For a full list of author events at the bookstore, click here.

Next Sunday, March 25, from 3:30-5, I’m taking part in a reading and Q & A session at the Belmar Arts Council Boathouse in Belmar, NJ. I’ll be joined again by Dawn Leas and our friend and prose writer Anne Henry. The three of us will be joined by some writers from NJ. I feel confident the experience will be as pleasant as the reading in Doylestown.