Join us on Tuesday, September 15, for a day of writing and poetry with Annis Cassells and Jo Guzman! Through the Looking Glass: Ekphrastic Writing Workshop on Tuesday, September 15 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm What is Ekphrastic Writing? Annis on her workshop: "When writers come to the page, we bring our vision and lived experience. Once engaged in Ekphrastic writing, writing inspired by art, we take a close look into unexpected or perhaps unfamiliar places. In this workshop we’ll explore ways to interact with art that will lead to writing memoir, short stories, personal essays, or poetry." Local Poets Read! on Tuesday, September 15 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm Join us and enjoy some local poetry from Coos Bay's Annis Cassells and Florence's Jo Guzman! Annis Cassells is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in print and online journals. Many poems began as she traversed the USA on her trusty Candy Apple Red motorcycle. In 2023 she published her second full-length collection, What the Country Wrought. Her third collection is in progress. For over 20 years, Annis has conducted poetry and memoir writing workshops for senior adults. She happily divides her time between California and Coos Bay, Oregon. Jo Guzman is a poet and the author of the poetry collections Craving, 28, and Eros Despite. She began writing poetry in her fifties, exploring themes of nature, embodied empowerment, and love in its many forms. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States, Jo lives on the Oregon coast with her high school sweetheart and their four children. She’s a card-carrying selenophile with an unnatural love for nacho cheese. Locally, Jo is known as Marijo Vollmar. She is the founder of the Empowered Living Wellness Center in Florence. The center houses women-owned businesses, with each professional skilled in the healing arts.