Featured Poet … (host - Kate Randall)

VSG introduces a new Poetry/Acoustic Open Mic night to Southbury, taking place every first Thursday. Re-knowned poets and local talents alike will find a platform for their poetry, prose, spoken word, and acoustic performances creating a vibrant atmosphere of creativity and expression. By hosting these events, VSG aims to foster a sense of community and promote the art of poetry in Southbury and beyond. Whether you’re a seasoned poet, an aspiring writer, a storyteller, or simply a lover of the spoken word, mark your calendar for our open mic nights.

July 11th - second Tuesday due to the holiday: Steve Straight - we don't usually have a single feature, but this July we make an exception. Steve Straight was professor of English and director of the poetry program at Manchester Community College. In 2023, Steve Straight was presented with the 2023 William Meredith Award in Poetry for his book, "Affirmation," published by Grayson Books. For many years, he worked with William Meredith on the Connecticut Poetry Circuit. Former Connecticut Poet Laureate Margaret Gibson has described his work as "restorative, playful and wise poems by one of Connecticut's best poets."  His full-length collections include Affirmation (Grayson Books, 2022), The Almanac (Curbstone/Northwestern University Press, 2012), and The Water Carrier (Curstone, 2002). For many years, Straight directed the Connecticut Poetry Circuit, and for many summers he directed the Seminar Series for the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival. He has given workshops on writing and teaching throughout the eastern United States. In 1998, he was named a Distinguished Advocate for the Arts by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

Free and open to the public (Suggested Donation)