Poetry & Conversation with Shirley J. Brewer & Elizabeth Hazen

Join us for a reading and conversation with poets Shirley J. Brewer and Elizabeth Hazen, sharing work from their new books. About Goddess of Swizzle by Shirley J. Brewer: Goddess of Swizzle invites the reader to "a feast for here and now." A recurring theme is a call to focus on and value the present moment—with its beauty and sorrows—rather than on some perfect scenario. "Swizzle" means to stir or mix, as if with a swizzle stick. In this collection, the author stirs up memories from childhood, adolescence, midlife, including her passion for ekphrastic poems. Each poem is a story/vignette, and each includes mention of a food or drink, to highlight ways we nurture ourselves and one another. These poems serve up slices of the personal, yet spring from a universal palate. About The Sky Will Hold by Elizabeth Hazen: The Sky Will Hold is a meditation on life: life inside a second marriage, life in middle age, life as a stepparent. It’s a close look at desire and addiction, at love and loss, at learning how to let go while still holding on to what is necessary. We see the inner workings of blended families, parenting a nearly-grown child, and living in an aging body with all the freedoms and pitfalls it can bring. This collection is a mantra of survival and love and continuing to move forward and always, always, believing the sky will hold, even when all signs point to the opposite. About the Poets: Shirley J. Brewer graduated from careers in palm-reading, bartending, and speech therapy. She serves as resident poet at Carver Center for the Arts & Technology in Towson. Her poems garnish Barrow Street, The Comstock Review, Gargoyle, Loch Raven Review, Poetry East, Slant, and other journals. Apprentice House published her fifth collection of poems, Goddess of Swizzle, in April 2026. Shirley lives in the Baltimore community of Charles Village. Read "Wisp of Moonglow." Learn more about Shirley J. Brewer. Elizabeth Hazen is a poet, essayist, and teacher. She is currently teaching poetry through the Goucher Prison Education Partnership. Her work has appeared in Best American Poetry, Epoch, The Threepenny Review, Shenandoah, and other journals. She has published three collections of poetry: Chaos Theories (2016), Girls Like Us (2020), and The Sky Will Hold (2026). She lives in Baltimore with her family. Read "Real Estate for the Blended Family (or What I Learned from Zillow)." Learn more about Elizabeth Hazen. About the Program: To attend in person please register here.Doors will open to registered attendees at 2:00 pm. Books will be available for purchase.Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street). Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.