Blank Verse is a reading series that supports diverse writers of all ages, levels, genres and performance styles including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and spoken word. Each event will feature local poetry and prose writers, and time for open mic and conversation.

Blank Verse is sponsored by Cracked Walnut, a chapter of the League of Minnesota Poets, which aims to generate love for live literature, community, and creativity.

April's Featured Readers: 

C. N. Buchholz is a writer of poetry, memoir, mystery, suspense, and fiction. She has an avid interest in true crime, the Holocaust, and stories of survival. She has been published in three poetry anthologies, various newspapers, and magazines. Her short stories have been featured in Hook, Line, and Sinker, Minnesota Not So Nice, Cooked to Death Volume II: Lying on a Plate, and Festival of Crime. She and her cohort in crime, William J. Anderson (AKA A.W. Powers), had their manuscript, In Too Deep, place as a top finalist for the 2017 Freddie Award for Writing Excellence (FAWE) competition sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America, Florida Chapter. C. N. Buchholz lives in the Land of 10,000 Lakes with a pony-size puppy, five black cats, and one husband.

Jessi Marie is a mental health nurse, a disabled combat veteran, and is currently in graduate school at Walden University. She is a member of Warrior Writers and serves on the board for the Minnesota League of Poets and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans. She is also a 2019 Minnesota Humanities Veteran Voices awardee, and a 2023 Tillman Scholar. Her most recent publications have been with Nodin Press, the Cuddy Foundation, and Middle West Press. Her first full collection of military poetry, The Time War Takes, is now out. Her poetry has been described as powerful, beautiful, and gut-wrenching as it bears witness to the unfiltered human experience. She is a scrabble nerd, lover of charcuterie boards, interior design, and the mama to 3 amazing daughters.

Mary Rosen is a regular Minnesota anthropology nerd and space weirdo who appreciates a multitude of creative arts and gardens in her spare time. She lives among a beautiful collective of loved ones that includes her 4-year-old daughter, who is the greatest inspiration of all.

D. MacKenzie Foster, author of the whimsical poetic collection "Not the Bees & Other Such Things" will be bringing their frenetic energy to the Twin Cities!  MacKenzie's only been writing and performing since May of 2023, but in that short time she's accomplished quite a bit!  From being featured in half a dozen local shows to MCing at several others, starting a poetry slam series, performing their own epic poem 'Not the Bees' as a live stage show... twice! And of course, releasing their own book, she's really bursting onto the growing Sioux Falls art scene! @MacKenzie_Bo_Benzie's really been coming out in a frenzy! So come and see her Twin Cities Debut... it won't be the last!

Anoka County Library strives to ensure that all visitors are able to access library resources, services, and programs. Assistive technology and program accommodations are available at many library locations as outlined here. Please call the library branch hosting the program at least two weeks prior to an event if there are additional accommodations we can provide for you to fully participate.