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Blank Verse: Prose and Poetry Showcase

Blank Verse: Prose and Poetry Showcase In-Person

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.

October Readers are: 

Spencer E. Vik is a poet from Saint Paul, MN. In 2025, he received his BA in Creative Writing from Metropolitan State University. He’s had several poems and stories published in his school’s literary magazine, for which he also served as Poetry Editor. In 2025, he completed his first book of poems, The Burning Kite, yet to be published. He is also a musician and lyricist. At the 2022 Drunk Spelling Bee at Can-Can Wonderland, he was disqualified on his first word (“liaison”). However, he went on to win first place in the event the next year.

Brianne Elise has been writing poetry since she was nine. Her first poem was published at twelve, and in her twenties, she performed spoken word across the Twin Cities, New York City, and Lexington, Kentucky. After years of writing privately, she's returning to poetry at 40 with a voice shaped by emotional exploration and a commitment to social justice. Her work has appeared in Eastern Kentucky University's Aurora literary magazine, where she earned her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. She's also a mixed-media portrait artist, amateur photographer, powerlifter, and avid reader who loves Poe, Anne Rice, and Malcolm Gladwell—and everything from The Joy Luck Club to Pride and Prejudice to Harry Potter to Talking to Strangers. A former Director of Cultural Literacy and Belonging, union leader, and diversity council chair, she brings her passion for equity to both her art and her community. She lives in the Twin Cities in a multigenerational home with her dogs, Fiona and Remy.

Charly Mullan is a writer who likes to describe himself as an “Emotional Journalist,” exploring the chaotic moments where his heart reaches for another, prays for connection, and hopes they can share in understanding and find growth together. He dabbles in Poetry, Music, and Prose. He has found publication in the Iowa Poetry Anthology, the Stanford Challenge Anthology, Chapbooks, and has been heard as featured poet on many readings. He is working on two ideas for books, with working titles, “The Lava Ride” and “Hammer Thumb.”

Shelby Johnson is a poet based in St. Paul, MN. She is a healthcare chaplain - accompanying others through the grief and beauty of life’s transitions – and to renourish spends much time in the woods, particularly along Lake Superior. Shelby looks to poetry as means of expression and release, of integration between time spent with suffering and the solitude of the wilds. She is pleased and honored to shift the spiritual exercise of writing into a more public forum, and is grateful for the camaraderie and encouragement of the Cracked Walnut Writing Collective.

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.

Date:
Thursday, October 16, 2025 Show more dates
Time:
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Time Zone:
Central Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:
Northtown Meeting Room
Library:
Northtown Library
Audience:
  Adult     Teen  
Categories:
  Authors/Writing  

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