Alameda Island Poets present the first of 2016’s monthly readings, with two Alameda poets. A poetry reading featuring Julia Park Tracey and Patricia Caspers, with open mic to follow, has been scheduled for Wednesday, Jan 6. Poetry and spoken word fans are invited to gather at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 1601 Paru St. from 7 to 9 p.m. A free-will donation is requested. 

Poet Laureate Julia Park Tracey will kick off the year reading from new work, and Patricia Caspers will read from her newly released collection, In the Belly of the Albatross. Caspers, who now lives in Auburn, is well known to Alameda residents from her former column in the Alameda Journal.

Tracey’s poems and poetry reviews have been published most recently in Sugared Water, Sweatpants & Coffee, East Bay Review and Postcard Poems. She is the author of three novels, and Amaryllis, a collection of poetry.

Patricia Caspers is the founding editor of West Trestle Review. Her first book, In the Belly of the Albatross (Glass Lyre Press) was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is an award-winning poet with work published widely in journals such as Ploughshares, PANK, Quiddity and Valparaiso.

To find out more, visit www.alamedaislandpoets.org.