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May 2026
Excalibur Poetry // May 31st
Excalibur is the sword given to Arthur by the lady in the lake. It is the legendary sword used to defend against colonialism and oppression. Our guiding principles are the same. This is a place to wield your words against the forces that would rather see us dead.
SUNDAY, MAY 31ST
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
OPEN MIC LIST OPENS AT 6PM SHARP
NO COVER // FREE FUN
Ayanna J (@simply_ayanna2.0), simply Ayanna she/they is a Black, queer, activist environmentalist and poet who is committed to being love and showing love. Proudly a lesbian and their work highlights their intersectional experiences as a black lesbian, they believe their gift back to the earth is their art, she writes and listens as both witness and kin to the earth and invites others to as well.
Aaron Gadbury (@crushedfruit) is a Philadelphia-based poet, performer, and co-producer of House Poet, a spoken word dance party. Originally from South Carolina, Aaron studied English at the University of South Carolina, wrote for The Daily Gamecock, and took the scenic route to Philadelphia by way of Beijing, New York City, and several romantic misadventures.
Aaron’s poetry is funny until it catches itself telling on itself. His work uses linguistic play, layered metaphor, and emotional misdirection to explore desire, shame, human history, family, politics, scientific inquiry, and the humiliating human wish to be witnessed correctly. His poems move between confession and critique, often asking whether vulnerability is intimacy, performance, self-defense, or all three.
His poetry has appeared in Wingless Dreamer Lit, Moonstone Press, and Pennsylvania Bards: A Southeast Poetry Review. He currently lives in Philadelphia, where he writes along the charged border between divulgence and performance, making shame laugh first and tell the truth second.
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What’s Up at TMoms:
• Sundays, All Day Long | if u didn’t get glitter in ur drink did you even craft sunday? Craft Sundays at TMoms every sunday, play both upstairs and downstairs. u heard me, both.
• Daily Happy Hour | $4 drafts every day from 4-6pm, everybody cheered!
• Daily Menu | Tattooed Mom will also be serving tasty eats and ice cold drinks all evening.
• Upstairs dining, bar access, and event entry is 21+ w/ valid ID.
• Accessibility at TMoms | Due to the construction of our historical building, Tattooed Mom is only partially accessible. Our event space is on the second floor, which is only accessible via a flight of stairs (20 steps, 3 feet wide, railing on the left side only). For more information, please visit our Accessibility page.
Find out more »June 2026
Poetry Reading: Celebrating Childless Millenial by Chiara Di Lello
Chiara Di Lello reads from her debut chapbook Childless Millennial, alongside readings by Philly poets Raena Shirali and Alina Pleskova.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4TH
DOORS @ 6:30PM + SHOW @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN
Raena Shirali is the author of two collections of poetry: GILT (YesYes Books, 2017) and summonings (Black Lawrence Press, 2022). Raena’s accolades include a Yaddo Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize and poetry prizes from Gulf Coast, Boston Review, & Cosmonauts Avenue. She lives in Philadelphia and is thus contractually obligated to say, “Go birds.” Instagram: @raenashirali
Alina Pleskova is the author ofToska (Deep Vellum), a 2024 Lambda Literary Award finalist in LGBTQ+ poetry. You can find her work in various places, and her spirit in the astral realm. More at: alinapleskova.com Instagram: @alina_pleskova
Chiara Di Lello is a writer and teacher based in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her debut chapbook Childless Millennial (Game Over Books, 2026) explores ancestry, gender, and the complexities of being childfree. necessarymess.wordpress.com Instagram: @whereskiwi
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What’s Up at TMoms:
• Thursdays, 4-10pm | we support bad decisions but this isn’t one of them. 75¢ pierogis all day for Pierogi Thursday … with all the toppings & sauces ur heart desires + $3 cans of tecate!!!
• Daily Happy Hour | $4 drafts every day from 4-6pm, everybody cheered!
• Daily Menu | Tattooed Mom will also be serving tasty eats and ice cold drinks all evening.
• Upstairs dining, bar access, and event entry is 21+ w/ valid ID.
• Accessibility at TMoms | Due to the construction of our historical building, Tattooed Mom is only partially accessible. Our event space is on the second floor, which is only accessible via a flight of stairs (20 steps, 3 feet wide, railing on the left side only). For more information, please visit our Accessibility page.
Find out more »
