Exeter LitFest hosts second annual Storefront Poetry project
EXETER — Before you step into a shop or restaurant in downtown Exeter this month, pause on the sidewalk to read the poem posted in the window.
The works of poets from the greater Seacoast area will be displayed in town during April, National Poetry Month.
More than 30 merchants and poets signed on for the second annual “Storefront Poetry” project, an extension of the Exeter LitFest’s celebration of the area’s rich literary heritage.
This year’s Exeter LitFest kicks off on Friday, April 4, with an evening of Latin American music from the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra: The Tahami Quartet from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Exeter Public Library and continues Saturday, April 5, at the Exeter Town Hall.
Featured poets for this year’s Storefront Poetry include high school students from Exeter High and Phillips Exeter Academy, local poetry teachers, published poets and even a sommelier in town.
The poems are showcased on a distinctive poster and printed in a font large enough to be readable from the sidewalk. A QR code on each poetry poster will link to the Exeter LitFest website, where all the poems are published. LitFest board members Peg Aaronian and Tim Horvath coordinated the “Storefront Poetry” project.
Exeter LitFest 2025: Here's the lineup
Saturday’s slate of events will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Exeter Public Library with Cynthia Copeland, author of the middle-grade graphic novels Drive and Cub, talking about her books and being an author.
Authors J. Courtney Sullivan and Dr. Tiya Miles are this year’s featured speakers, with Sullivan speaking at 11 a.m. in conversation with Katie Adams and Miles at 4 p.m. in conversation with Caleb Gayle.
Sullivan is the New York Timesbestselling author of the novels "Commencement," "Maine," "The Engagements," "Saints for All Occasions," and "Friends and Strangers." Her latest book, "The Cliffs," was a 2024 Reese's Book Club pick. Miles is the author of eight books, including four prize-winning histories about race and slavery in the American past. Her latest work is the biography "Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People."
Other events on Saturday include:
Keith O'Brien, author of "Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose," in conversation with Dan Provost.
"Independent Publishing in the Modern World," featuring authors Renay Allen, Michael Cameron Ward, Justin Corriss and Sara North, moderated by Lara Bricker.
"Damsels and Dragons: Romance, Fantasy, and Marrying the Two," featuring authors Jacquelyn Benson, Laura Mayo, and Lyra Selene moderated by Naomi Farr.
"Echoes of Now: Poets of the Present Moment," featuring poets K. Iver, Cate Marvin, and Nathan McClain as curated by Diannely Antigua, the 13th Poet Laureate of Portsmouth.
"Family and Finding Home," featuring authors Jane Brox and Alexandra Chan, moderated by Stef Kiper Schmidt.
Exeter High School will also showcase student poetry at the event.
On Sunday, Art Up Front Street is hosting a closing reception from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for "Conspiracy of Spirit: An Ekphrastic Poetry and Art Show." Ekphrastic poetry is a poem that vividly describes and responds to a work of art.
Held for the first time in 2019, the Exeter LitFest aims to shine a spotlight on the wealth of local talent in the Exeter area as well as bringing in featured authors and poets from the region. Events at the literary festival, held in the historic Exeter Town Hall and Exeter Public Library, are always free and open to all.
For details, go to www.exeterlitfest.com.