Join USA Today Bestselling author and poet J Brooke for a unique poetry writing workshop at Essex Library Association. Brooke’s debut poetry collection “I can Tell You the Version That Will Make You Take My Side” was published in June 2026 to widespread acclaim, and is considered “poetry that’s extremely accessible even for those who don’t read poetry.”
Whether you’ve ever written or read poetry, come and enjoy a series of fun (sometimes funny) writing exercises to discover your inner poet. Each participant will leave with a working draft of a poem they wrote. This program is free and open to the public at Essex Library Association, 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Registration is required.
About J Brooke
J Brooke’s work is known for exploring gender, family, and the incendiary combination of the two. A known essayist and editor, their first book chose a collection of themed poems to deliver candid commentary on their unique gender journey. Born intrinsically male, assigned female at birth, and raised in affluent dysfunction in New York City, their gender expression attempted various forms before embracing their nonbinary identity. Brooke is the Book Reviews Editor at The Rumpus, Poetry Editor at Trans Poetics Archive and they and their spouse have happily called this part of CT home for the past five years.