Twelve poets will be reading for Artifactory on October 20, 2019 at 1 p.m. at the Zhang Legacy Collections Center at 1650 Oakland Drive in Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5307. The following writers will present work about important places connected to the history of Kalamazoo, Schoolcraft, and other cities in Southwest Michigan: Kathy Rabbers, Robin Church, Robert Post, Susan Blackwell Ramsey, Nancy Hoy Nott, Jennifer Clark, Elaine M. Seaman, Jill Doster Marcusse, Janet Ruth Heller, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Ruth Moerdyk, and Margaret DeRitter.
Janet Ruth Heller will read her poem “Pamela Brown Thomas,” which concerns a woman in Schoolcraft who was active in the Underground Railroad that helped former slaves escape to freedom in the 1800s.
Historians Sharon Carlson and Lynn Houghton will comment on the unique sites mentioned in the poetry.
The sponsor of Artifactory is Friends of Poetry. Its Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofpoetry/