Tag: local poets

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.

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.

You Can’t Kill A Poet // May 2026

Join us on Wednesday, May 20th for another round of You Can’t Kill a Poet! This month features a powerhouse lineup of queer and trans poets sharing their work. It is our anniversary month, and we are celebrating 12 years of YCKAP with the raucous energy and electric poetry that built this space. Doors open at 7:30. Reading starts at 8:00. Free to attend. 21+ with ID.

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20TH
DOORS @ 7:30PM + SHOW @ 8PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

Alison Lubar (@theoriginalison) is a nonbinary Nikkei dyke, award-winning poet, and lifelong educator who teaches literature to teenagers, writing to adults, and yoga to all ages. They’re the author of two full collections of poetry, four chapbooks, and a forthcoming microchap. Alison writes about biracial identity, queer love, transgenerational healing, and common moths; they are also a board member for Philadelphia’s Blue Stoop. Find out more at http://www.alisonlubar.com/

Alyse James (@alyselyselyse) is a writer and classically trained clown who creates out of an insistent sense of curiosity and existential pondering, inspired by a deep desire to merge otherworldly cosmic clown etherealities with our everyday human failures. Through vivid imagery, discomfort, and vulnerability, Alyse invites audiences into layered worlds that challenge, provoke, ask rather than answer.

Jude Waldo (@waldocollectorofvengeance) cut his teeth in the slam poetry scene in Pittsburgh. He went on to major in Creative Eriting in his undergraduate studies. He’s works on riverbaots, ina a chaplain’s office, and a couple of book and record shops. His work has been published in the anthology in the Shadow of the Mic: Three Decades of Slam Poetry in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City Papers Chapter and Verse, and others.

Pony Silk (@ponysilk) is an artist, poet, and professional hot girl based in Philly. She’s currently obsessed with dreams, demo derbys, and summer. Her 10 year plan is to make it on the Real Housewives of Philadelphia.

Sawyer Lovett (@sawyerlovett) is a writer who lives in Tazewell County, VA by way of Philadelphia. He is a writer and professor, a dog dad, an occasional bookseller, barista, and balloon artist who makes zines, mistakes, and messes frequently and enthusiastically.

Topher Cusumano (@tophcus) is a writer, performer, and TV producer dedicated to making television that is as chaotic, horny, and culturally relevant as possible. He is the co-founder and creative director of Daddy TV, the twisted minds behind Slag Wars, For the Love of DILFs with Stormy Daniels, Willam’s Dark Room Duel, and so many more. Vulture called them “the future of queer reality TV,” which—is correct. Topher holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from SCAD and uses it exclusively for evil (and art).

Follow You Can’t Kill A Poet on Instagram.

 

***

What’s Up at TMoms:

• Wednesday, 4-10pm | they’re a smash hit for a reason. Smash Burgers (classic or vegan) every Wednesday for just $6!! u heard that right! + $3 PBR! RUN!!!

• 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.

When It Unfolds Book Release & Open Mic

Have you ever wondered what’s beyond the veil? Join Kaylee ‘Kade’ LeMasney on May 17th for their premiere release of When It Unfolds. This self published piece explores themes of grief, uncertainty and divinity. Copies will be on sale on May 17th upstairs at Tattooed Mom. Doors and book sale will begin at 6pm. A featured reading by the author will begin at 7pm with a poetry open mic to follow. 21+ w/ valid ID.

 

SUNDAY, MAY 17TH
DOORS @ 6PM + READING @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN
RSVP: EVENTBRITE

 

Follow Kaylee ‘Kade’ LeMasney on Instagram.

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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.

Excalibur Poetry // April 26th

Excalibur happens in the same time and place as Scribes on South, the last Sunday of each month on the second floor of Tattooed Mom.

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, APRIL 26TH
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
OPEN MIC LIST OPENS AT 6PM SHARP
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

Christopher Clauss (he/him) is a poet, organizer, ocean explorer, middle school science teacher, and “pretty ok dad” from rural New Hampshire.  His work has appeared in more than 60 publications, including New York Quarterly, Plants and Poetry Journal, Sylvia, FreezeRay, and Bureau of Complaint.  As a performance poet he has competed at the national level for over a decade, most recently being a member of the winning team at the 2024 Ohio Meatgrinder Poetry Slam.  Nominated for 2025 NH Teacher of the Year, his pre-teen science students rave that Mr. Clauss is “Fine, I guess. Whatever.”  Christopher’s first book of poetry, Photosynthesis & Respiration (Silver Bow Press, 2022) explores the bliss and turmoil of relationships at the intersection of life, love, and science.

 

 

***

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.

Excalibur Poetry // March 29th

Excalibur happens in the same time and place as Scribes on South, the last Sunday of each month on the second floor of Tattooed Mom.

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, MARCH 29TH
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

Pine Bluff, Arkansas native Christopher K.P. Brown aka KP ULTRA is the founder of Pecola Breedlove & The Freedom Party, a West Philadelphia–based open mic poetry event that created a platform for poets both local and national from 2014 to 2019. Prior to Breedlove, he ran a Philadelphia based small press named 2 Pens & Lint, under which he published chapbooks for over 400 poets. He currently runs Poetry215.com, an online poetry calendar where you can find upcoming poetry events in Philadelphia. His newest poetry book and album is titled 84 ULTRA. It includes the poems The Process, This Ain’t That, and Kiss The Sky. The project is available at 84ULTRA.com He is a graduate of Mercer University where he majored in African American Studies with minors in Creative Writing and Studio Art. When he isn’t working on poetry, he enjoys doing genealogy work for his family tree research company, Before They Were Ancestors, LLC.

 

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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.

Excalibur Poetry // March 22nd

This event was originally planned for January 25th.

It will now take place on Sunday, March 22nd.

 

Excalibur will happen in the same time and place as Scribes on South, the last Sunday of each month on the second floor of Tattooed Mom. It will also keep the same format, with one-two featured poets and a signup based open mic list.

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, MARCH 22ND
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

FEATURES
Kaylee “Kade” LeMasney is a nonbinary writer born and raised in South Jersey. Building their creative roots in New Jersey and Philadelphia, they find inspiration through the bustling streets of the city, the beaches, pine barrens and Jersey farms – always exploring ways to tie in humanity’s inner connectivity with the world around us. When they’re not writing sad and strange poems, they travel locally and far beyond, pursuing a career in live entertainment management. Their upcoming chapbook release titled “When It Unfolds” dives into the spiritual life beyond the veil, exploring themes of grief, uncertainty, and divinity. Release date TBD. IG: @k.lemasney

 

Juniper Danger is a queer poet inspired by nature, community, and the trans experience. She loves filling her house with people and filling those people with soup. You can find her at @androjunous on instagram

 

 

***

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.

You Can’t Kill A Poet // March 2026

Join us on Wednesday, March 18th, for the first You Can’t Kill a Poet of 2026. We’ll have a featured lineup of queer and/or trans poets reading their work. It’s always a joyful, raucous, good time, and we can’t wait to fill the room with YCKAP energy once again. Doors at 7:30, reading at 8:00. Free to attend. 21+ with ID.

 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18TH
DOORS @ 7:30PM + SHOW @ 8PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

Readers:
Ezra Jackson
Zach Blackwood
Brielle DuBose
Carmen Triola
LeNell
Vivian Opal
Tyrell Brown

 

Follow You Can’t Kill A Poet on Instagram.

 

***

What’s Up at TMoms:

• Wednesday, 4-10pm | they’re a smash hit for a reason. Smash Burgers (classic or vegan) every Wednesday for just $6!! u heard that right! + $3 PBR! RUN!!!

• 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.

Excalibur Poetry // February 2026

Excalibur happens in the same time and place as Scribes on South, the last Sunday of each month on the second floor of Tattooed Mom.

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, FEBRUARY 22ND
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

Featuring:

Abigail Guidry is an artist, poet, and memory worker living in Philadelphia, PA, with their two tortoiseshell cats. Abigail is co-founder of the sibling collaborative Guidry Press, where they make zines and artists’ books alongside their brother. When they aren’t reading poetry at local open mics, they can be found watching horror movies and learning new crafting techniques.
Rowan (they/them/themme) is a creature primarily focused on poetry and painting. Rowan believes in the accessibility of art and aims to foster community connections through authenticity and kindness. They can be found either performing at and/or hosting many of the open mic nights in South Philadelphia, and their written works appear in New Jersey’s Soup Can Magazine, Los Angeles’ Fruit Slice Magazine: Rituals, Philadelphia’s CollideZine: Issues 8 & 11, and will soon be published in New York’s newest Slut Zine(2026). In June of 2025, Rowan used their art and poetry to raise over $1K, most of which was donated to The TransLifeline, and the rest was sent directly to the Philly community. Rowan believes in the power of connectivity that comes from people sharing their lives freely, and they hope their work will inspire others to do the same.

 

 

 

***

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.

Excalibur Poetry // January 2026

Excalibur will happen in the same time and place as Scribes on South, the last Sunday of each month on the second floor of Tattooed Mom. It will also keep the same format, with one-two featured poets and a signup based open mic list.

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, JANUARY 25TH
DOORS @ 6PM + SHOW @ 7PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN

 

FEATURES
Kaylee “Kade” LeMasney is a nonbinary writer born and raised in South Jersey. Building their creative roots in New Jersey and Philadelphia, they find inspiration through the bustling streets of the city, the beaches, pine barrens and Jersey farms – always exploring ways to tie in humanity’s inner connectivity with the world around us. When they’re not writing sad and strange poems, they travel locally and far beyond, pursuing a career in live entertainment management. Their upcoming chapbook release titled “When It Unfolds” dives into the spiritual life beyond the veil, exploring themes of grief, uncertainty, and divinity. Release date TBD. IG: @k.lemasney
Juniper Danger is a queer poet inspired by nature, community, and the trans experience. She loves filling her house with people and filling those people with soup. You can find her at @androjunous on instagram

***

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.

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