Reading & Reception – Inspired by Oliver
Join us for a special screening of the documentary "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World." Before the film begins, you're invited to a free reception with Nay's Charcuterie and a reading of local poets "Inspired by Oliver." After the showing, stay for a Q & A with Director Sasha Waters and poet Donika Kelly, moderated by writer Melissa Febos.
DATE: Tuesday, July 28
LOCATION: Filmscene, The Chauncey, 404 E. College St, Iowa City
- 6:15 Free Reception & Reading
- 7:00 Ticketed Documentary Screening
- 8:30 Q & A
Update: 7 pm showing July 28th has sold out! The 3:30 pm showing the same day still has tickets available, and showings throughout the week also have seats.
Learn more and reserve seats at https://icfilmscene.org/
Mario Duarte
Mario Duarte is an alumnus of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His fiction and poetry have appeared in Hole In The Head, Huizache, and Peruse Lit, and more work is forthcoming in Honey Literary, and Midwest Quarterly. He is the author of a poetry collection, To the Death of the Author, and a short story collection, My Father Called Us Monkeys.
Susan Fuchtman
Susan Fuchtman writes poetry and short fiction. A resident of Iowa City, she is a volunteer and board member for PorchLight Literary Organization, a non-profit which helps writers of all experience levels to grow their practices and find creative community. Susan's recent and forthcoming work can be found in Moon City Review, Thin Skin, South Florida Poetry Review, Plume, and elsewhere.
Terry Haru
Terry Haru has been retired for 12 years from various positions in behavioral health (therapist, program leader, and administrator). Although he wrote his first poem at age 18, and wrote others here and there, it's only in the past two years or so that he's done so regularly, so he's still a novice at the ripe old age of 80. It just goes to show one is never too old to write!
Kat Hirsch
Kat works in a rare book archive and has been writing a psychological folk horror novel for four years. She was selected to read a chapter of her novel at Mission Creek Festival in 2025, and realizes she should probably finish the book someday soon! To procrastinate achieving her dreams, Kat spends her time as the dungeon master for her D&D groups, reads about Ancient Rome and medieval history, and restarts her novel.
Emily Mere
A whisky-aged stout, a string-lit patio and a yap sesh with the homies are the ideal ingredients for ritually summoning the tragicomic poet, Emily Mere. A University of Iowa graduate and a creative at heart, Emily has been showing up uninvited to open mics and poetry slams in the Iowa City area since 2023. She is a member of the 2026 slam poetry team, io-what. Her diaristic writing blends confessional vulnerability with a playful, tongue-in-cheek attitude; a whimsical duality that has been described as: "[fire emoji] but in a [sad emoji] way." Mark Ruffalo once approached her in a dream saying, "I'm such a fan of your work." When she’s not spiraling, your favorite poet’s favorite poet can be found frolicking at farmers markets, crafting indie playlists for her besties and flunking out of the local bar trivia scene. xoxo
Linda M.J. Muller
Linda M.J. Muller, poet, and organizer of the local poetry slam, writes poetry about family, memory, and what it’s like to be a woman in the 21st century. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming at Prompt Press, GenrePunk Magazine, and Lyrical Iowa. She lives in Iowa City, North America's first UNESCO City of Literature, where she works as an accountant at the University of Iowa.
Belen Rodriguez-camacho
Belen is dedicated to celebrating the creative arts and spaces. She strives to expand access to outlets of expression in her surrounding communities. She aims to support the quad cities and neighboring areas through advocacy, education, resource sharing, and volunteering. Sarai is passionate about dancing, poetry, history, music, and vegan cooking.
Faith Rooney
Faith Rooney is a pipette-wielding scientist by day and multi-hobbied woman by night. She likes drawing, writing poetry, playing games, and hanging out with her awesome roommates. She wishes she knew more Tagalog and that matcha wasn't as expensive as it is.
Elizabeth Sloan
Elizabeth Sloan is a poet, prose writer, and artist based in Iowa City. She has a BA in English and creative writing and a BA in art from the University of Iowa. Across mediums, her practice is rooted in intentional curiosity and continuous learning. Through close observation of crevices and gutters and other places things congregate, the bottling of earthen textures and dead insects, and a growing collection of antique encyclopedias, Elizabeth maintains a steady well of inspiration for her ceramics, printmaking, poetry, and prose practices.
Carol Tyx
Carol Tyx is trying to withstand the onslaught of chaos and cruelty in her country. Besides reading and writing, she works with others on environmental and immigration issues. Her latest books include Achilles: Slicing into Angola's History that gives voice to a 1951 prison uprising and the chapbook Rearranging Myself.
Elizabeth Von Loh
Originally from Texas, Elizabeth Von Loh recently graduated from the University of Iowa with BAs in creative writing and religious studies. She continues to grow creatively in Iowa City, where the people, nature, and incredible arts community constantly inspire her.
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