Treasure Coast - Sunday March 31, 2024: Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation announces its 13th Annual Poetry and Barbeque on April 13, 2024, during National Poetry Month. Our headline event, Fathered/Father, features the rare opportunity to hear two of our greatest living American poets: John Balaban, of Cary, NC and George Bilgere of Cleveland, Ohio.
The event will be held from 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 at Richardson Center on Mueller Campus of Indian River State College in Vero Beach.
“The Poetry and Barbeque is one of our most popular events each season,” said Dr. Jacque Jacobs, LRJF President. Saturday’s main event offers fabulous poetry readings, delicious barbeque and beverages plus live music for a modest entry donation of $45.00. In addition, there will be a silent auction and a raffle with selections which support our programs. As an added bonus, LRJF will offer tours of Laura’s historic home throughout the event and participants may enjoy a stroll in the Florida friendly gardens and outside pole barn. Tickets and more information about our programs can be purchased at https://www.LRJF.org
John Balaban is the author of thirteen books including Words for My Daughter, a National Poetry Series Selection. Other awards include the William Carlos Williams Award and The George Garrett Prize for Service to Literature. In addition to his poetry, he is the author of prose works in both fiction and non-fiction, as well as translations from Vietnamese, Bulgarian, and Romanian. His most recent book is Passing Through a Gate (2024).
George Bilgere has published six collections of poetry, including Imperial(2014); The White Museum (2010), which was awarded the Autumn House Poetry Prize; and The Good Kiss (2002), which was selected by Billy Collins to win the University of Akron Poetry Award. He has won numerous awards, including the Midland Authors Award and a Pushcart Prize. Billy Collins has described him as “a welcome breath of fresh American air.” Bilgere teaches creative writing at John Carroll University.
LRJF depends on the generosity and support of the community to continue to produce these great opportunities. Our Foundation offers writing workshops, readings, and interdisciplinary literary programs for students and adults by some of the greatest writers, authors, and educators in the US. We believe exposure to quality literature enriches our community and makes it one of the best places to live in the nation. LRJF hopes you’ll plan to attend and partake in the pleasures of this great poetry and barbeque weekend.
The Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation (LRJF) is dedicated to preserving the author’s home and nurturing writers of all ages through a series of literary offerings including writers’ groups, summer camps, workshops, and poetry festivals. The Foundation honors writer Laura (Riding) Jackson’s belief in the promise of language by creating community through the literary arts.
The author’s Florida cracker-style home is located next to Brackett Library on Mueller Campus of IRSC in Vero Beach at 6155 College Lane, Vero Beach. The historic house is open for tours on Monday and Tuesdays from 1:00–5:00 and the 2nd Sunday of the month from 1:00-5:00 from November to May, as well as by appointment.
LRJF has a Writing Center at 1914 14th Avenue in Vero Beach where we host writers’ groups, poetry readings, teen and adult writing workshops, and our LRJF gift shop. The annual Poetry and Barbeque Event celebrates National Poetry Month each April.