Come See Finalists To Be Next Salem Poet Laureate

SALEM, MA — Salem residents are invited to hear from the three finalists for the city’s Poet Laureate program during a public reading on Thursday at Charlotte Forten Park.

After reviewing six applications, the Poet Laureate Selection Committee narrowed the field to M.P. Carver, Jo Faeyln Bova and D. Shine. The event will give community members a chance to hear each finalist read from their work and take part in a question-and-answer session.

The program begins at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

"We are proud to present these talented poets, who each bring a unique voice and perspective," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "I am grateful to the dedicated selection committee of city staff and volunteers who have put in so much thought and hard work to begin this program.  I encourage all community members to attend this exciting poetry reading."

Each finalist will read selections from their work for 15 minutes. That will be followed by an open Q&A where members of the public are invited to ask the finalists questions.

Free light refreshments and snacks will be provided, and funding for the event is made possible through a contribution from the Salem Redevelopment Authority.

The finalists all have ties to Salem's arts and literary community.

M.P. Carver is a Salem poet and visual artist who serves as director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, co-founded Molecule: a tiny lit mag, and teaches at Salem State University, according to the announcement. Carver's poem "You & God & I" received the New England Poetry Club's E.E. Cummings Prize in 2022.

Jo Faeyln Bova, also of Salem, is a writer, artist, community organizer and founder of Salem Literary Coven, a costumed poetry performance group that has performed at the 2025 and 2026 Salem Arts Festivals.

D. Shine is a poet and social worker who hosts a recurring Salem poetry night called "House of Poems" and self-published “Nowhere Left Behind” in 2024.

The finalist readings are part of Salem’s process for launching its Poet Laureate program.