I was just reminded from an occasional contributor to the Voice, Beth Wellington, that there will be a poetry reading tonight (March 10) in Blacksburg. The event will take place at Gillies at 7 p.m. Sounds great! Here’s the lineup.

Lissa Bloomer treats topics from the politics of febreeze to women in physics. Her activism comes from her anger of the treatment of our environment and women—and the humor in noticing the smallest of these things.

Katie Fallon works with local and regional environmental groups and writes creative nonfiction on wildlife, nature, and the environment. Katie’s first word was ‘bird,’ and 30 years later, she’s still obsessed with them.

Aileen Murphy reflects on autism, a bit of feminism, and life in the blue and red states. “Activist,” she says, describes other people, although as youngest of 7 daughters, and a “recovering catholic,” the term can be an appropriate synonym for “feminism.”

Beth Wellington has adapted “testimonio,” the Latin American narrative poetry of witness, to give voice to stories of environmental and social devastation, from the coalfields of Southern Appalachia to the forests surrounding Chernobyl.

Again, this is in Blacksburg at 7 p.m. at Gillie’s. It’s a performance for Virginia Tech’s Celebration of Women’s Month sponsored by The Burning Book, Blacksburg’s Community Resource Center.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it, but if you attend, give us your thoughts!

~Tim W. Jackson