OHIO POETRY DAY TAKEOVER

Art Loop: Ohio Poetry Day Takeover
Saturday, October 17 | 12-4 pm | Main Branch Library (325 N. Michigan Street)

The Arts Commission partners with the Ohio Poetry Day Association and the Toledo Lucas County Public Library for a celebration of Ohio poets! Enjoy readings by writers from around the state, poetry-themed activities, word games and puzzles, typewriters and a pop-up poetry bookstore. 

We’re delighted to introduce two new Poets Laureate to the Toledo community: Ohio’s new Laureate, Edward A. Julian Sr. from Columbus, and Lucas County’s newly-appointed Laureate, Sandra Rivers-Gill. Together with readings by former laureates Joel Lipman, Jim Ferris and Jonie McIntire all together in one space, it’s a day of poetry not to be missed! 

Readings

• 12-1pm New Poets Laureate: Edward A. Julian Sr. (Ohio) & Sandra Rivers-Gill (Lucas County)

• 1-2pm Reading by OPD Poet of the Year Chuck Salmons

• 2-3pm Readings by OPD contest winners

• 3-4pm Readings by former Lucas County Poets Laureate Jonie McIntire, Jim Ferris, Joel Lipman

Activities

• One Single Rose® / Flyku for YOU

• Tony Brewer / Poetry on Demand

• Simone Spruce / Pluck a Prompt

• Stefani Hathaway / Handmade Notebooks

• Toledo Museum of Art / Art-Inspired Haiku

• Fair Housing Center / Ode to the Zip Code

• Opal Allen / Five-Word Poetry Challenge

• TLCPL / Book Genre Button-Making

• 577 Foundation / Blackout Poetry

• Dan Peterson / Vintage Typewriters

Admission and all activities are free; snacks and merchandise available for purchase. 

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About Edward A. Julian Sr.

Appointed in 2026, Edward A. Julian Sr. is Ohio’s fourth Poet Laureate and founder of The Begin Within Initiative. Author of From Inmate to Advocate: A Journey of Transformation, Edward also teaches life skills, poetry, personal development and reentry programming in schools, correctional institutions, and communities throughout Ohio. His work is rooted in accountability, education, personal growth and the belief that transformation begins from within.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Edward now lives in Columbus, Ohio.

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About Sandra Rivers-Gill

Sandra Rivers-Gill is the fourth Lucas County Poet Laureate. Her poetry is known for familial and social consciousness and resilience. An award-winning poet, performer and playwright, her work has been featured in numerous publications, and her debut poetry chapbook is As We Cover Ourselves With Light. She is editor of poetry collections written by people of color, women in recovery and aging adults.

Sandra has served as a board member and poetry instructor for the Naomi Inc treatment facility, and a poetry instructor for Otterbein Senior Living Communities. She is a teaching artist for the Ohio Arts Council, and the inaugural Poet Ambassador of Northwest Ohio representing the Ohio Poetry Association. 

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About Chuck Salmons

Chuck Salmons has served the Ohio Poetry Association for over a decade. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Chiron Review, Evening Street Review, The Ekphrastic Review, and Sheila-Na-Gig Online. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and the Paterson Poetry Prize, and received a 2018 Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for poetry. Chuck has published four poetry collections: Stargazer Suite; Patch Job; The Grace of Gazing Inward: Poems in Response to the Art of Alice Carpenter; and, Surviving the Eremocene. He is a native of Columbus.