Schenectady’s 2nd Wednesday Poetry Series will feature Leslie B. Neustadt and Judith Prest on Wednesday, July 10 at C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios, 137 State Street. Both poets have published books that explore powerful themes of trauma and healing. The evening will begin at 7:30 with an open mic for poetry and short prose.
“Sometimes truth / has sharp edges / that pierce my skin,” Leslie B. Neustadt writes in her poetry book, Bearing Fruit, A Poetic Journey (2014). She is a retired attorney, a collage artist, and a writer with work published in a wide variety of journals and anthologies. She’s a member of the Board of the International Women’s Writing Guild and is involved in Women Writers and Artists Matrix. She has donated all the proceeds from Bearing Fruit to not-for-profit organizations.
Judith Prest traces a 50 year path from trauma to healing in After, her new poetry chapbook published by Finishing Line Press (May 2019). She is a poet, mixed media artist, photographer, and creativity coach who offers readings and expressive art and writing workshops from her own Spirit Wind Studios and other venues. Her poetry has been published in literary journals, seven anthologies, and two books –– Late Day Light (2011) and Elemental Connections (2016) –– from Spirt Wind Books. She lives in Duanesburg with her husband and three cats.
Located across State Street from the Frog Alley Brewing Co., C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios is the new venue for the 2nd Wednesday Open Mic series that used to meet at Arthur’s Market. There’s a bus stop out front and plentiful parking on State Street, Liberty Street, and in the parking lot behind the building on South Ferry Street. Admission is free; coffee and tea are available for a donation.
