MONROE — Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m., the Monroe Community Library invites the public to hear Elizabeth Schaab, artist and poet, read from her latest collection of poetry and talk about her experience living in eastern Turkey.

Imagine yourself transported to the land of the “wine-dark sea,” a geography shrouded in the fog of ancient myth and a dizzying 12,000-year history of conquest and re-invention.

For Monroe artist and poet Elizabeth Schaab, the dream became reality in 2012, when she traveled to Turkey with her husband. He went to teach physics to university students, and Elizabeth was there to paint. When finding the right paints became a challenge, Elizabeth put down her brushes and began painting in words.

Reading and listening to “Izmir, washed in salt” is to be transported to a balcony overlooking the Aegean Sea, to spice shops, ancient streets, and neighbors’ kitchens. The colors, tastes, and sounds of Izmir all come alive in these pages. Familiar objects are revealed anew when experienced in a new language.

The poems in this collection were all written during Elizabeth’s sojourn in Turkey, revised and rewritten with the support of her longtime cohorts and teachers at Barbaria’s Belfast Writing Group.

"Please join us for an afternoon of poetry and reflections on living in a land Elizabeth came to love with both heart and voice," said the Library, in a news release.

The reading will be followed by tea and Turkish sweets.

The poetry reading will take place at the Monroe Community Library, 8 Swan Lake Ave., Monroe, ME 04951, and is free and open to all. Books will be available to purchase at the program. Free parking is available on site and in the lot across from the Library.

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