Join us for an afternoon with poet Michele Evans, who will read from her new chapbook, februaries. A conversation with Karen Ashby-Bowers will follow. This in-person event will be cosponsored by The Charlottesville Chapter of The Links Incorporated and will be free and open to the public. We recommend arriving early for the best seating.
About the Book: Michele Evans, the author of the poetry collection purl, returns with februaries—a chapbook of poems inspired by her participation in the National African American Read-In (AARI), which was founded by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
Chronicling and preserving the achievements and contributions of ancestors Harriet Tubman, Billie Holiday, Maya Angelou, and others, februaries—a museum constructed of poignant poems diverse in form—reminds readers: Black History is American History, and it should be “celebrated, appreciated, and narrated” well beyond the annual 28-day observance.
Inspired by the literary tradition established by an assembly of living legends from the DC metropolitan area, such as Dr. Joanne V. Gabbin and E. Ethelbert Miller, Evans revisits significant and complicated moments from America’s past to spark necessary and challenging conversations about the future of humanity.
About the Author: Michele Evans is the author of februaries (Yellow Arrow Publishing, 2026) and purl (Finishing Line Press, 2025), nominated for the Maya Angelou Book Award. Before becoming an educator, this fifth-generation Washingtonian (DC) studied at Smith College, King’s College-London, and the graduate school at the University of Maryland. This Watering Hole fellow currently teaches English and creative writing and serves as the adviser for Unbound, a nationally recognized high school literary magazine. Her writing has been published in Artemis Journal, Bellevue Literary Review, Gargoyle Magazine, and elsewhere. She lives online at awordsmithie.com.
About the Moderator: After thirty years as a school librarian, Karen Ashby-Bowers is enjoying her recent retirement. She earned her MLIS from The Catholic University in Washington, DC. She worked as librarian at both the elementary and high school levels. Michele and Karen met at Broad Run High School in Ashburn, VA, forming a lifelong friendship. Together they offered students the opportunity to make connections between the classroom and library. When not reading, weaving, or gardening, Karen is likely to be at the horse barn doing chores and trail riding. She and her husband also enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren and exploring the Charlottesville area.
