Antonio Michael Downing
Antonio Michael Downing is an author, speaker, and musical artist. His memoir Saga Boy was called “singularly dazzling” by Kiese Laymon and “the triumph of Blackness everywhere” by Scotiabank Giller Prize–winner Ian Williams.

Poetry from the Library: Concord Free Public Library Presents Allison Adair & Tiana Clark
Join the Concord Free Public Library for an afternoon with acclaimed poets Allison Adair and Tiana Clark, who will read from their prize-winning debut collections. This event will be held on Zoom at 3pm ET. Register here!

UC Riverside's Writers Week: Kazim Ali, Jane Smiley, & LeAnne Howe
Join UC Riverside’s Writers Week for a virtual reading and discussion with Kazim Ali, Jane Smiley, and LeAnne Howe. This event will be held on Crowdcast at 3pm PT. Register here!

Drew Lanham at Wenatchee Valley College: On Race and the Environment in the Age of the Climate Crisis
Join the Wenatchee Valley College English Department for Drew Lanham’s lecture on the intersections between race and the environment. This webinar will be held on Zoom at 1pm PT. Register here!

In the Mood for Love Poems: A Valentine's reading with Allison Adair, Benjamin Garcia, Faylita Hicks, Jubi Arriola-Headley, Kenzie Allen, & Matthew Olzmann
White Whale Bookstore is overjoyed to host a belated Valentine’s Day reading (because there’s no wrong time to celebrate love!) featuring six poets their poems about love: Faylita Hicks, Benjamin Garcia, Jubi Arriola-Headley, Kenzie Allen, Allison Adair, and Matthew Olzmann. This event will be held on Zoom at 8pm ET. Register here!
Authors / Poetry & Migration
5 Reasons to Teach This Book: Dēmos
Welcome, friends, to the latest installment of 5 Reasons to Teach This Book! In this interview series, we examine what we can learn from Milkweed’s titles by discussing our books with educators, authors, and booksellers. This month, we’re delighted to feature an incandescent conversation between Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley and Milkweed Fellow Tijqua Daiker. Read on to learn more about Kingsley’s upcoming poetry collection, Dēmos: An American Multitude, out in March!

Tijqua Daiker: I’m endlessly intrigued by the poems in this collection that appear in the form of Punnett squares. It speaks to the science of identity, which has…

Aviary Tour: Deirdre McNamer at Flyleaf Books, with Jill McCorkle
Flyleaf Books hosts Deirdre McNamer for a reading and discussion of Aviary, in conversation with Jill McCorkle. This event will be held on Zoom at 6pm EST. Learn more here!

Northern Light Tour: Kazim Ali at The Book Catapult, with Darrel McLeod
The Book Catapult hosts Kazim Ali for a reading and discussion of Northern Light, in conversation with Darrel McLeod. This event will be held on Zoom at 5pm PT. Learn more here!
Robert VanderMolen
Robert VanderMolen is the author of twelve collections of poetry. He has been publishing poetry since the mid-1960s.