The Writers Guild at Bloomington is an association of writers committed to mutual support and the professional development of their craft. Its mission is to foster interaction among writers as well as other artists, educators, and the Monroe County public, thereby enhancing the vibrancy of the arts and the writing community in the greater Bloomington area.
Events Calendar
Constellation for Kids presents:
The Writers Guild at Bloomington presents
Last Sunday Poetry & Open Mic
featuring Zach Hannah and Su Flatt
ZACH HANNAH is an Appalachian expat originally from Portsmouth, OH, now residing in Columbus, OH. A poet, an instigator of poetry, and one half of the SandWich Arts duo, alongside Su Flatt, Zach has taken notes from the creativity and vision of the now retired Writers’ Block Open Mic, producing and co-producing several public events centered around poetry, including the now annual megaphone reading, SHHH, They’ll Hear You, and 6-1-FORT, A Poetic Excuse (to build poetry forts, of course.) He is also the 2nd resident for the Johnstone’s Fund For New Music.
SU FLATT bio forthcoming.
Emerging poets who need a supportive audience, and established poets who want to promote published works: Come 20-50 min. before the 7pm program start time so you can sign up for open mic! Your words are precious. (2-3 min. per open mic participant)
7-8:30 PM (EST) 29 June 2025
Morgenstern Books & Cafe (849 S Auto Mall Rd, Bloomington IN 47401)
featuring poets Jennifer Moore and Justin Hamm
with music by Matt Lundquist
OPEN MIC to follow
BEER & WINE available for purchase
Sponsored in part by the Bloomington Arts Commission and the Bloomington Urban Enterprise Association
Originally from the flatlands of central Illinois, JUSTIN HAMM now lives near Twain territory in Missouri. He is the author of four books of poetry, Drinking Guinness With the Dead: Poems 2007-2021, The Inheritance, American Ephemeral, and Lessons in Ruin, and a book of photographs entitled Midwestern. He is also the creator of Poet Baseball Cards and the founding editor of the museum of americana. Justin was chosen as a 2022 Woody Guthrie Poet, a 2020 Missouri Arts Council Featured Artist, a finalist for the 2018 River Styx International Poetry Prize, and the winner of the 2014 Stanley Hanks Memorial Poetry Prize. In 2022 he delivered a performance entitled “The American Midwest: A Story in Poems” at TEDx Oshkosh. Justin currently works as an elementary librarian in the small town of Mexico, Missouri, where he lives with his wife, Mel, and their two daughters.
JENNIFER MOORE is the author of Easy Does It (The University of Akron Press, 2021), The Veronica Maneuver (The University of Akron Press, 2015), and Smaller Ghosts (Seven Kitchens Press, 2020). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Bennington Review, Ploughshares, Interim, DIAGRAM, The Cincinnati Review, and other venues, and criticism and reviews have appeared in Jacket2, Rhetoric Review, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of fellowships and residencies with the Jentel Arts Foundation, Artsmith, the Leña Artist Research and Residency Centre, the Sundress Academy for the Arts, and the Ora Lerman Charitable Trust. A native of the Seattle area, she holds a B.A. in English from Mercyhurst University, an M.A. in creative writing from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and a Ph.D. in creative writing from the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A professor of creative writing and Director of the Honors Program at Ohio Northern University, she lives in Bowling Green, Ohio.
MATT LUNDQUIST gathers inspiration for songs from the Lost Roads, Deep Woods, and Front Porches of Southern Indiana. In 2022 he won the John Hartford Memorial Festival Songwriting Contest for his tune “Hartford’s Bend.” He can play slide guitar like a spring creek sings. He can calm the spirits with his pedal steel style. Traveled to many funky little towns and far away forests with a Big Gibson Jumbo and another new song. In Bloomington, Indiana, you’ll find him stompin’ with cosmic folk rockers Otto & the Moaners, singin’ Garcia/Hunter tunes with Dead Country, or pickin’ in your friends backyard.
Constellation Stage and Screen presents:
Mamma Mia! (2008): Sing Along at the Waldron Auditorium in downtown Bloomington.
Calling all dancing queens and super troupers! You’ll have a blast singing along to hit songs from the popular 1970s group ABBA. This smash-hit movie musical, based on the stage show of the same name, is the story of a bride-to-be trying to find her real father.
Pre-Show Extravaganza:
Be sure to dress in your Mamma Mia best, because we’re kicking off the screening with a costume contest! Show off your disco- and island-inspired looks for the chance to win a fabulous prize. After the contest, test your Mamma Mia knowledge with a finish-that-lyric challenge! Come early to take photos at our photo booth and grab a themed cocktail from the bar.
Tickets On S
Saturday, July 12 at 7:00pm
Entry prices increase at the door, so get your tickets in advance to save!
Advance Price: $12
At-the-door: $15
The Writers Guild at Bloomington presents Last Sunday Poetry & Open Mic
featuring J.I.B and Nikki Blankenship Flaugher of Portsmouth, OH
J.I.B. is a prose poet and essayist from Southern Ohio. His work has been published in journals, magazines, and various Midwest presses. You can follow his work, travels, and performances on Instagram @j.i.b.trash.poet or on Facebook @ J Ian Bush.
Nikki Blankenship Flaugher bio forthcoming.
Emerging poets who need a supportive audience, and established poets who want to promote published works: Come 20-50 min. before the 7pm program start time so you can sign up for open mic! Your words are precious. (2-3 min. per open mic participant)
7-8:30 PM (EST)
Morgenstern Books & Cafe (849 S Auto Mall Rd, Bloomington IN 47401)