The WRBA regularly showcases local talent by providing residents the opportunity to read their writing publicly in the friendly confines of Neir's Tavern, Queens's oldest bar. This latest installment of Writers and Pints also featured several other wordsmiths.
"Woodhaven has so many talented writers of both prose and poetry," said WRBA Director Vance Barbour. "By providing them with a platform to share their work with the rest of Woodhaven, we hope to enhance the neighborhood's status as one of the city's most vibrant and creative communities."
Paolo Javier, the evening's special guest, has been a resident of Queens for over 10 years. His appointment as the borough's poet laureate was announced in June by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and Queens College President James Muyskens. His award-winning poetry is only one facet of his artistic contributions; he is also a playwright, film director, professor, editor, and publisher.
"What an honor it is for me to be invited to your series," Javier said. "As the new Queens Poet Laureate, I am excited most of all by the opportunity to discover long-standing and vital poetry communities such as Woodhaven's. I look forward to hearing your poetry, and to sharing my own."
The excitement was felt on both sides.
"We are tremendously pleased to welcome Paolo to Woodhaven and are eagerly looking forward to Thursday night," Barbour said before the event. "We expect that his work will inspire the scores of writers and enthusiasts of the written word who live in our neighborhood."
All were welcome to the free event, either to share their work or to listen to others' readings.
The Queens Tribune and Queens Chronicle both wrote about the writer's night before it happened, and the Queens Chronicle published an article after the event, which you can read here.
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