SPECTRA Reading Series | Final Event of 2024: 12/7 fea. Jacob Saenz & Narratives QC

SPECTRA Lives! The Quad Cities longest-running reading series returns to Rozz-Tox on Saturday, December 7 for its last event of the year, featuring award-winning poet Jacob Saenz and local writers from Narratives QC.

Saenz, whose book Throwing the Crown, won the 2018 APR/Honickman First Book Prize, will also lead a free community write-in at 6:00 p.m.; there will be short reading, followed by a prompt written by Saenz. Copies of the reading will be available at no cost, and there will be time for participants to write and briefly discuss their work, followed by an open mic. Then at 8:00 p.m., three writers from Narratives QC will read from their work – Lynn Carsten, Tanner Jordan, and Nathan Wirth – with Poet and Creative Arts Specialist for Narratives QC Chris Britton introducing. A feature reading from Jacob Saenz will close out the evening.

SPECTRA Lives! Fall Season start 10/9 with Elliott Sky Case & more

SPECTRA lives! We are excited to have a lineup of so much talent, and a line up of entirely gender nonconforming writers, at that. This is going to be a really special show for our press and for our community.

What: SPECTRA Reading Series featuring Elliott Sky Case
When: Wednesday, October 9, Doors at 7:00 p.m. | Show at 8:00 p.m.
Where: Rozz-Tox (2108 3rd Ave., Rock Island, IL 61201)
Cost: Event is free and open; copies of Get Home Safe will be available for purchase. Donations appreciated.

SPECTRA Lives! A Special Event, Featuring erica lewis On Tour For Her New Book :: mahogany ::

The SPECTRA Reading Series will host a special event featuring acclaimed poet erica lewis on Thursday, October 19 at Rozz-Tox (2108 3rd Ave. Rock Island, IL). lewis, who lives in the Bay Area, will be stopping in the Quad Cities on the Midwestern leg of the tour for her new book mahogany, recently published by Wesleyan University Press.

Doors for the event open at 7:00 p.m., and readings will start at 8:00 p.m. lewis will be joined by another celebrated poet, Becca Klaver, and two local rising stars: Melissa Conway and Htoo Htoo. Event is free and open to the public, with a $5 suggested donation to support youth writing programs at MWC. Local bookseller The Artsy Bookworm will be on hand selling copies of mahogany as well.