3 Former Bucks Co. Poet Laureates To Read Works At BCCC

NEWTOWN, PA — Three former Bucks County Poet Laureates will come together on Friday, Feb. 27 to read from their latest published works as part of the Wordsmiths Reading Series at Bucks County Community College. The free readings begin at 7:30 p.m. in room 142 inside historic Tyler Hall on the Newtown campus.

Joseph Chelius, who was named Bucks County Poet Laureate in 2000, will be joined by 1983 Poet Laureate W.D. Ehrhart and 2020 Poet Laureate Jane Edna Mohler. The reading is free and open to the public.

Chelius is the author of “Playing Fields” (2025) and four previous collections of poems: “Taking Pitches” and “Row House Yards” (Pudding House Chapbook Series, 2006 and 2011), and “The Art of Acquiescence” and “Crossing State Lines” (WordTech Communications, 2014 and 2020). In addition to being named Bucks County Poet Laureate in 2000, he was the first-place winner of the inaugural short fiction contest at Bucks County Community College.

His work appears in Cider Press Review, Commonweal, Poet Lore, Poetry East, Rattle, THINK, and other journals. A semi-retired editor and editorial director in the healthcare communications industry, Chelius and his wife have two grown children and have lived in Bucks County for 32 years.

2000 Bucks County Poet Laureate Joseph Chelius.

Ehrhart, the 1983 Bucks County Poet Laureate, is a Vietnam War veteran, a dedicated anti-war activist, and author of the memoir “Vietnam-Perkasie,” among other books. He’s also a regular contributor of nonfiction articles to Current Affairs, and is the first poet to be published in its pages. His new poetry collection, “Smart Fish Don’t Bite,” is available from Moonstone Press.

Ehrhart’s poems present straightforward, candid portrayals of experience. He has written about the Vietnam War, but subjects also include encounters with friends and family, and observations of the world around him — for instance, the death of a friend, memories of his grandmother, and his urban Philadelphia neighborhood. He has cited his wife and daughter as influences on his writing. Learn more at wdehrhart.com.

1983 Bucks County Poet Laureate W.D. Ehrhart.

Mohler is the 2020 Bucks County Poet Laureate and winner of the 2016 Main Street Voices prize. Recent publications include “Gargoyle” and “One Art.” Her collections, “Broken Umbrellas” (2019) and “Autumn Clears” (2025), were both published by Kelsay Books. Mohler is poetry editor of the Schuylkill Valley Journal. She is also an American traditional rug hooker and a devoted gardener.

2020 Bucks County Poet Laureate Jane Mohler.

A USA TODAY best-selling novelist rounds out the spring Wordsmiths Reading Series when Jamie Brenner reads from her works at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 16. Her novels include “The Forever Summer,” “Blush,” and the forthcoming trilogy “Blue Angel.” After raising two daughters in New York City, Brenner now lives in Bucks County — the inspiration for her recent novel “The Weekend Crashers.“

The Wordsmiths Reading Series is another way that Bucks County Community College connects the community with the region’s vibrant literary heritage. The series, which is free and open to the public, is funded by the College’s Cultural Affairs Committee. To learn more, visit bucks.edu/wordsmiths or contact the School of Language & Literature at langandlit@bucks.edu or 215-968-8150.

Bucks County Community College’s Newtown Campus is located at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown 18940, where there is ample free parking. For a campus map and directions, visit bucks.edu/newtown.