Parisian Phoenix Publishing

Every April, the world celebrates poetry— the same sort of observance reserved for Black History Month or Disability Pride or Suicide Awareness. And here we are, in October, already, and I am impressed with the volume of poetry events flooding the Lehigh Valley, six months after official National Poetry Month, perhaps an indication that we should honor poetry at least twice a year.

Today, Twilight with Touchstone closes. It has featured one of our favorite poets, McKenna Graf, author of Mortals, Myths and Maybes, and one of our favorite partners for local poetry-themed events, Magnus Mateo. The event is at 6 p.m. today in the Bethlehem Rose Garden, a place memorialized in some of Larry Sceurman’s stories in his nostalgic collection, Coffee in the Morning.

Magnus offered some insight as to what the event means to her:

Today’s the day. I am beaming from ear to ear as I prepare for Twilight with Touchstone: A Rose Garden Odyssey. My outfit picked out the night before, my notebook propped perfectly in my hand as I practice in the mirror, my confidence on the rise. 

I’m incredibly grateful for the connections I’ve developed throughout my time in the Lehigh Valley Poetry Scene. I was handpicked by Ms. Latrice Young of Touchstone Theatre to perform alongside other phenomenal talents to deliver a curated set that showcases Fall, Accessibility, Community, Treat (F.A.C.T). This will be my first time attending (and participating) in Bethlehem’s Festival UnBound. 

I wrote new poems as soon as I received the themes and honed my set each week.

And now… today’s the day.