Featured Readers
Donna Pucciani
Donna Pucciani, a Wheaton resident, was born in Washington DC, grew up in New Jersey, and after surviving her Ph.D. in Humanities at New York University, moved to the Midwest where she taught English, music, and humanities for several decades before retiring to write poetry full-time. Her poetry has appeared in journals worldwide and has been translated into Chinese, Japanese and Italian. She has won awards from the Illinois Arts Council, the National Federation of State Poetry Societies, and other organizations. She has published seven collections of poetry, which will be available after the reading. She is happy to join Water Street Writers after having read her work here at the launch of the series years ago, and a number of times since then.
Julie Brandon
Julie Brandon is a poet, playwright, lyricist and writer of all things. Her short stories “The Last One In” and “Family Secrets” have been published in Corner Bar Magazine. “Nothing to Dream About” will be published in December. You can find her poetry in Awakenings Review, Poetic Magazine, Shemon, Love’s Last Chance and Bewildering Stories. She’s especially fond of “A is not for apple” and “But What Results.” Over the last few years, Julie’s writing has included short monologues. They’ve been published by Fresh Word: Horror Anthology and Theatre Unbound. Several will be performed by Equity Theatre in New York City this December. “Under My Skin” was performed by New Deal Theatre in 2021. She’s always considered herself a playwright first and foremost. Two of her one-minute plays, “Clean As a Whistle” and “Old Friends” were published in 2023 by Mini Plays Magazine. Tree City Playhouse produced “Can You Get There From Here” and Westchester Civic Theatre produced “Cup of Joe”, her favorite, “Have I Got A Deal For you” and “One Thing More”. Julie has a B.A. in English Literature from the University of South Florida. She’s also busy as a composer and lyricist. Julie resides in Downers Grove, IL.
Matthew Thomas Meade
Matthew Thomas Meade’s fiction has appeared in The Sun Magazine, Columbia Journal, The Saturday Evening Post, and elsewhere. His collection, Rocketflower, won the C&R Press Summer Tide Pool Chapbook Contest. His debut full length, Strip Mall, is available through Tailwinds Press. Some of his work, as well as the one good picture he has of himself, can be found at www.matthewthomasmeade.com. He is being monitored by the NSA. And so are you.
Sandra Marchetti
Sandra Marchetti is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, Aisle 228 from Stephen F. Austin State University Press (2023) and Confluence from Sundress Publications (2015). She is also the author of four chapbooks of poetry and lyric essays. Sandra’s poetry appears widely in Poet Lore, Blackbird, Subtropics, Ecotone, Southwest Review, and elsewhere. Her essays can be found at The Rumpus, Whiskey Island, Mid-American Review, Barrelhouse, and other venues. Sandy earned an MFA in Creative Writing—Poetry from George Mason University and serves as the Assistant Manager of Academic Support at Harper College in the Chicagoland area.
Listen to the Show
Donna Pucciani
Julie Brandon
Matthew Thomas Meade
Sandra Marchetti
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