Open Mic Poetry Night @ the Gallery

Mark your calendars for open mic poetry night @ the Gallery in New Bedford

Saturday, September 27th 7pm-9pm –

Groundwork is hosting its first open mic poetry night at the gallery in New Bedford! The event will begin with a lineup of featured poets followed by an by an open mic. New and established poets are encouraged to participate. Limited slots available. Interested poets should arrive early to sign up. Doors open at 6:30pm.

Event is free and open to the public!

Some light refreshments, but feel free to byob & snacks!

Have questions? Email us > team@groundwork.space

Featured Poets:

Hendrick Hernandez is creative director of the Sleepless in New England collective, creative specialist at New Bedford Creative, and a multihyphenate musician you can catch performing this summer at the Lift Us Up Juneteenth celebration, July’s Roots and Branches acoustic music and art festival, and August’s 3rd EyE hip-hop festival.

Vanessa Medeiros is an actor and comedian, with 20 years of experience in over 100 productions. She’s been with The Portuguese Kids for a decade, debuting in a parody music video and starring in “My Big Fat Portuguese Wedding” dinner show. Passionate about helping others, advocating for the voiceless, and embracing her Portuguese heritage with humor, Vanessa also enjoys working with youth, traveling, and writing poetry.

Kate Frazer Rego is an artist and educator based in the South Coast of Massachusetts. A graduate of UMass Dartmouth (BFA, Sculpture) and Boston University (MFA), her multidisciplinary work spans sculpture, installation, painting, performance, and puppetry. Her writings have also appeared in Anomaly Poetry’s annual editions, Tidings and Rituals. Kate has spent over a decade teaching art across the region, with a pedagogy grounded in process, inclusion, and social justice. When not teaching, you’ll find her holed up in her studio—with coffee in hand.

Nicole Cosme has published poems in several journals and magazines. She is the General Manager of Groundwork.

Krista Allen is an author and artist living in Westport, MA

Lenore Balliro is a writer, community art worker, and garden mentor in Gloucester, Massachusetts. She has worked for over 30 years with adult literacy programs teaching and advocating for immigrants and refugees.

Dawn Blake Souza was born and raised in New Bedford, Dawn raised a family and was a stay-at-home mom. She started college when her youngest entered kindergarten, receiving degrees from Mass Amherst and Harvard. Dawn authored five non-fiction books, including a children’s book that was illustrated by her late husband. She also explored primitive folk/art as a creative outlet.

Kathryn Hamilton lives in New Bedford, MA, near the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she was educated. Her father was the Head of Shipping at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in her youth. “Katie” grew up in the basement of the MFA playing among the history and artifacts.