Featured Poet Pat Mattola and Ed Lent.
Pat Mottola is a distinguished creative writing instructor at Southern Connecticut State University and the proud president of the Connecticut Poetry Society. With a career dedicated to inspiring and connecting individuals through writing, Pat holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MS in Art Education from Southern. Her exceptional teaching has been recognized with the CSCU Board of Regents Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award (2019) and the J. Philip Smith Part-time Faculty Teaching Award (2021).
An accomplished poet and Pushcart Prize nominee, Pat's work has appeared in esteemed literary journals such as War, Literature & the Arts and Connecticut Review. She is the author of two poetry collections, Under the Red Dress and After Hours, with her third book, A Town Like That, forthcoming from Grayson Books. Beyond her own writing, Pat has served as editor of the Connecticut River Review and actively mentors Afghan women writers, collaborating on global poetry projects. Her dedication to the transformative power of poetry is evident in all her endeavors.
Edward Alan Lent became the inaugural poet laureate of Madison, CT in September of 2024 and will serve a 3-year term. He is an active Shoreline Artist and Poet in Madison ,Guilford, Essex and Lyme and uses art to teach and exhibit Ekphrastic poetry. Originally published under the pen name Ezra Lovecroft, he is a Member of the Academy of American poets, Poetry Society of America, the Connecticut Poetry Society, The Haiku Society of America, The National Federation of State Poetry Societies of Poets and the Italian American Writers Association and is the CEO and Founder of the Ekphrastic Poetry Trust of C.T., He published “As Above, So Below” in 2018, the chapbook “Perceptions” in 2023. A winner of CT Arts Hero Award in 2020, he sponsors many philanthropic, art and writing awards. He hosted ‘Ezra Lovecroft presents’, open mic poetry events throughout Ct. and in 2025, began hosting an open Mic with the E.C. Scranton Library in Madison on the first Thursday of each month and leads “A Quiet Place to Write”, a writers workshop on the second Tuesday of the month.
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VSG’s Second Sunday Poetry and Music takes place every 2nd Sunday at the Gallery. Renowned 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 afternoons.
Free and open to the public (Suggested Donation)