April is National Poetry Month, which means bards worldwide will have a chance to share their literary skills with others. Four local poets will be doing just that as part of the John F. Kennedy Library’s National Poetry Month poetry reading and open mic night event. Other local scribes will be encouraged to join in.

The event will be hosted by Genea Brice, Vallejo’s poet laureate. Brice was named as the city’s first poet laureate last summer and has led the Poetry in Notion meetings monthly at the JFK Library, where poets gather to share their love of the art form.

“We are honored to have Genea Brice hosting this event,” library associate Jeff Kingman said in a statement. “She brings lots of talent and energy to her post as Vallejo’s first Poet Laureate. Genea has a special way of reading her work that makes the poems come alive—like music.”

Brice will be joined by Kingman as well as Kyrah A. Ayres and Benicia’s very own Johanna Ely. Ely is a member of the Benicia First Tuesday Poetry Group and has had her work published in two poetry anthologies, “Across the Genres” and “A Word for All Seasons.”

After the readings by the four poets, there will be an open mic session where attendees will have the opportunity to show off their poetic abilities. The public will be able to sign up at the beginning of the event.

The event will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 16 in the Joseph Room of the JFK Library, located at 505 Santa Clara St. in Vallejo. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. For more information, visit SolanoLibrary.com or call the library at (866) 572-7587.

Sharing is caring!