The Poets Weave

Antonia Matthew grew up in England during World War II and has lived in Bloomington, Indiana since 1968. She has been a member of the writing group "Five Women Poets" since 1974, which has published three chapbooks and one CD. 

She has published a chapbook, Journey, and written a play, Antonia’s Home Front, a transatlantic audio theater co-production of Political Art, London and the Writers Guild of Bloomington. It premiered on WFHB’s Fireside Theatre, October 9th, 2022. Antonia is a member of the Bloomington Writers Guild.

 Antonia reads "Fireflies," "Rain," "Song," and "Storm Moon." 

Antonia Matthew grew up in England during World War II and has lived in Bloomington, Indiana since 1968. She has been a member of the writing group "Five Women Poets" since 1974, which has published three chapbooks and one CD. 

She has published a chapbook, Journey, and written a play, Antonia’s Home Front, a transatlantic audio theater co-production of Political Art, London and the Writers Guild of Bloomington. It premiered on WFHB’s Fireside Theatre, October 9th, 2022. Antonia is a member of the Bloomington Writers Guild.

Antonia reads "The Night of January 2, 2026," "bombed building," "Jet Trail," and "Knitting Circle."

Angela Lim is a poet, educator, and editor currently living in Bloomington, Indiana, where she is pursuing an MFA in poetry at Indiana University. In addition to writing poems, Angela has written dozens of juvenile nonfiction books.

Angela reads "Without Compass," "COMPULSORY," "I find myself jealous of ghosts" and "Tell the Space Enthusiast 'No, Thank You'." 

Allie Rigby has roots in the chaparral and deserts of California. She is the author of Moonscape for a Child, published by Bored Wolves in 2024, and she’s a recipient of a Fulbright grant to Romania. Her writing explores health, climate change, ecology, and community, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2020.

Allie reads "Press Record Now," "Frog Skin," "Self-Portrait as Orchid," and "Burnt Rice." 

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” --Socrates

 Colleen Wells read her poems “A Party of Five Becomes Two,” “Heartblast,” “Love It or List It,” “Snow Day,” and “March Madness.”

Colleen believes writing is a healing force and helps others feel empowered to share their stories. Her works include a memoir, Dinner with Doppelgangers – A True Story of Madness & Recovery, and two poetry chapbooks, Animal Magnetism and Around the Bend. She is a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist candidate.

Mary Dezember is an award-winning author of stories and poetry as portals to possibilities. While earning her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature at Indiana University, she directed the Runcible Spoon Poetry Series. Professor Emeritus of English at New Mexico Tech, Mary was awarded a writer’s residency at the Historic Santa Fe Foundation in 2025.

Mary reads her poems " This Isn’t Your Dream" and "2000 Women."

"Less than anything cannot satisfy man.” – William Blake

Alyse Knorr is the author of six poetry collections and two video game history books. Her lyrics have been performed at Carnegie Hall and her poetry is permanently installed on a wall of the New York City Public Library's East Harlem branch. She serves as an associate professor of English at Regis University.

Alyse reads her poems “Scattered Forecast,” “Artifacts,” “Emptied Full,” “Evening,” “Day I Wanted Every Last Thing,” “Day I Wanted Only One Thing,” and “Epistle (You).”

Poet Daniel Lassell reads “Llama,” “Ritter Park Cabin,” “Frame [Like a resurrected body],” “Downward Rooms,” and “Frame Inside a Frame [In the underworld].”

Daniel is the author of two poetry books: Spit, published by Wheelbarrow Books in 2021, after winning the 2020 Wheelbarrow Books Poetry Prize; and Frame Inside a Frame published by Texas Review Press in 2025. Daniel grew up in Kentucky and lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Poet Michael M. Feinstein reads "Gender Clinic," "On Devotion," and "Recognition."

Michael M. Weinstein is a poet, essayist, and literary scholar. He is the author of Saint Consequence (Alice James Books, 2025) as well as articles and poems that have appeared in venues like The New Yorker, The Kenyon Review, Boston Review, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. Michael holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and an M.F.A. from the University of Michigan. A proud member of the trans and disability communities, he now teaches at New York University.

Bloomington-based poet Tony Brewer reads from his manuscript Musical Chairs in the Dark: “Wash My Feet,” “Electors,” “Big Red Jupiter Storm Spot,” and “Forever Home.”