Quick Announcement and Invitation

By lornawoodauthor on October 4, 2026

Announcement of reading in Lisle, Illinois, with QR code for access to tickets.

When I went to the Library Poetry Festival back in the spring, I joined a group called Poets & Patrons. I didn’t do much with them because there are a lot of poetry events put on by other people in the summer, and I was enjoying them and making friends. But I had paid my dues and was on their list.

Photo credit: Dougsmithjr1982, Rittman Morton Salt Factory. CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons.

One day they sent around an invitation to submit nature poetry in return for the opportunity to be one of ten poets selected for the above reading. I did not know it then, but the Morton (as in Morton Salt) family were (perhaps still are) very big in Chicago. The main Morton Salt factory was here–it is now The Salt Shed, an amazing-looking venue for live music. The Morton Arboretum is (I have read) 1700 acres of beautiful trees and plants.

I’m impressed by the variety of good poetry I have heard here, even at the dive bars and beach hangouts I have frequented, so I was surprised and honored to be one of the ten the Poets & Patrons judges selected. Although I don’t think I’ve encountered any of the other poets before (many are from outside Chicago), they have impressive bios, and I am looking forward to hearing their poems. I’m also looking forward to a great free day in nature. If you are in Chicagoland, please treat yourself and come out to enjoy fall and hear some excellent nature poetry.