WOW Center and Straw Dog Writers Guild to present author Gail Thomas!
Westfield on Weekends (WOW), in association with Straw Dog Writers Guild, will present award‑winning poet Gail Thomas as part of the free Writers Out Loud Guest Speaker Series. The event will take place on Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 pm at The WOW Center, 105 Elm Street in Westfield’s Downtown Cultural District.
Gail Thomas is the author of numerous acclaimed poetry collections, including This World (2026), featuring photographs by Deb Lohmeyer; Trail of Roots, winner of the A.V. Christie Series from Seven Kitchens Press (2022); Leaving Paradise (2022); Odd Mercy (2016); Waving Back (2015); No Simple Wilderness: An Elegy for Swift River Valley (2001); and Finding the Bear (1997).
Thomas’s books have received significant honors. Her book, Waving Back was named a “Must Read Book” by the Massachusetts Center for the Book and earned Honorable Mention at the New England Book Festival, while Trail of Roots was the winner of the A.V. Christie Series from Seven Kitchens Press,
Her poems have appeared numerous journals and anthologies. They have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times.
Thomas has received grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation and has held residencies at both the MacDowell Colony and Ucross Foundation. Her book No Simple Wilderness, chronicling the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir, has been taught in college writing and multidisciplinary courses.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Thomas has lived in Western Massachusetts for more than forty years.
The evening will feature a conversation with the poet about her writing, influences, and creative process, along with selected readings from her newest work, This World. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A, to meet the author during a book‑signing immediately following the program and to purchase signed copies of Thomas’ books.
The Writers Out Loud series also hosts monthly Open Mike nights on the second Thursday of each month, offering writers of all levels a welcoming space to share their work.
The next Writers Out Loud event will feature bestselling novelist Jacqueline Sheehan on Sunday, November 28 at 1:00 PM at The WOW Center.
This program is funded in part by grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Westfield Cultural Council, supporting accessible literary and cultural programming for the Greater Westfield community.
Westfield on Weekends, a non‑profit organization that helps to define the cultural and creative vitality of the Greater Westfield community through accessible programming that celebrates its many neighbors; Straw Dog Writers Guild is a non‑profit volunteer organization dedicated to the craft and transformative power of writing and serving writers in Hampden and Hampshire Counties; and WhipCity Wordsmiths is a Westfield‑based writers’ social and support group committed to fostering connection and creativity among local authors.
