Gail Thomas Poetry Reading

In connection with a second year of creative writing classes in Nelsonville,  Poet Gail Thomas will be reading from her poetry.  Ms.Thomas has published four books of poetry, Odd Mercy (Headmistress Press, 2016), Waving Back (Turning Point, 2015), No Simple Wilderness: An Elegy for Swift River Valley (Haley’s, 2001) and Finding the Bear (Perugia Press, 1997).The reading will kick off the new creative writing residency for seniors with Ohio Arts Council Teaching Artist Wendy McVicker, which begins Thursday, October 5. Sponsors of the residency include Stuart's Opera House, the Ohio Arts Council, the Epstein-Teicher Foundation, and others. This event is free and open to the public. Ms. Thomas will answer questions from the public and have her books available for sale.Gail Thomas BioGail Thomas has published four books of poetry, Odd Mercy (Headmistress Press, 2016), Waving Back (Turning Point, 2015), No Simple Wilderness: An Elegy for Swift River Valley (Haley’s, 2001) and Finding the Bear (Perugia Press, 1997).Waving Back was named a Must Read for 2016 by the Massachusetts Center for the Book and Honorable Mention in the New England Book Festival.  Odd Mercy won the Charlotte Mew Prize of Headmistress Press and its “Little Mommy Sonnets” won Honorable Mention in the Tom Howard/ Margaret Prize for Traditional Verse.Thomas’s work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including The Beloit Poetry Journal, Calyx, The North American Review, Hanging Loose,  and Valparaiso Poetry Review.  Individual poems have won national prizes and Thomas was awarded residencies at The McDowell Colony in New Hampshire and Ucross in Wyoming.Her book, No Simple Wilderness, about the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir in the 1930’s to provide drinking water for Boston has been taught in college writing and interdisciplinary courses. As one of the original teaching artists for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Elder Arts Initiative, Thomas led workshops and collaborated with dancers, musicians and storytellers in schools, nursing homes, hospitals and libraries across the state.Thomas speaks at conferences and poetry festivals, reads her work widely in community and academic settings, and lives in Northampton, MA. http://www.gailthomaspoet.com/