On November 19th, 1974, Lucille Clifton joined Carolyn Kizer to headline HoCoPoLitSo’s first-ever event, reading from their work and discussing their lives as writers to adult and student audiences in Wilde Lake. Lucille would go on to be Poet Laureate of Maryland, 1979–1985, and a cherished long-time friend and artistic advisor to HoCoPoLitSo. Since her passing in 2010, HoCoPoLitSo has held the annual Lucille Clifton Reading Series, each year highlighting poets, topics, and partners that Lucille would have been proud to champion, as we are proud to open our 50th anniversary season in her memory.

We hope you will join us for our 2024 Lucille Reading Series offering: Writing the Land, presented in partnership with Howard County Conservancy. The event features poet Patti Ross, who through the national Writing the Land project wrote two poems for the Conservancy and its land, reading from her work along with poets Naomi Ayala and Hiram Larew. All three will read nature poems in the Conservancy’s garden amphitheater, amid the beauty of our natural environment. A print anthology featuring Ross’s poetry and essays about the Conservancy, will be available for purchase and signing. Wine and apple cider will be sold.

📅 Sunday, October 27
🕜 1 p.m. (in-person)
📍 10520 Old Frederick Road, Woodstock, MD 21163

FREE registration is required to attend this public event to ensure adequate seating:
http://bit.ly/writingtheland