Monday, July 6 offers a full afternoon and evening devoted to literature and the craft of making books themselves. From 3 to 5 p.m. acclaimed poet and performer Len Geminara will lead a hands-on bookbinding demonstration, introducing participants to a simple DIY process for creating beautiful "perfect bound" paperback books. Whether you're a poet with a manuscript tucked in a drawer, a journal keeper, an artist, or simply someone who loves books, the workshop offers a rare opportunity to learn an old craft in a welcoming setting.

 

Then, at 6 p.m., the room transforms into a gathering place for voices. The evening's Poetry Reading and Open Mic will feature Eleanor Cade Busby, whose work has long explored memory, history, family, justice, and the stubborn hope that survives difficult times. Busby will read selections from her three collections: "Just North of Ordinary Tides," "Braided in Last Light: Poems Through the Wheel of the Year," and "Rising Light: Poems of Passion and Protest."

 

Joining her will be Spotlight Poet Len Geminara, a winner of the Cambridge Poetry Award, whose dynamic performances blend the intensity of spoken word with the heart of traditional storytelling. Len brings an energy and life to his words that engages his audiences and draws them in. His extensive background in SLAM  enlivens every room he enters.

 

The evening will also include an Open Mic, welcoming both seasoned writers and first-time readers. Organizers hope the event becomes a gathering place where local poets, songwriters, storytellers, and lovers of language can find one another.

 

"Poetry was never meant to live only on the page," said Busby. "It belongs in bookstores, coffee shops, libraries, village halls, and around kitchen tables. Coastal Verse is about creating a home for those voices here on the Maine coast."

 

Barn Swallow Books is located in Rockport at 166 Russell Avenue. For more information: (207) 230-9852.