Hickory – M. Scott Douglass is the author 4 collections of award-winning poetry, but as Founding Editor and Publisher at Main Street Rag Publishing Company in Charlotte, Douglass has selected, reviewed, edited, and published hundreds of books of poetry. In fact, Main Street Rag’s publication record over the more than 20 years since its founding makes it the largest publisher of poetry in the state of North Carolina. On February 13, Douglass will bring his years of experience with poetry and publishing to Hickory to give a reading from his own work and to lead a workshop on chapbooks as part of Poetry Hickory.

The workshop, titled “The Chapbook: What It Is and How to Make It Work Best,” will run from 5:30 to 6:30 at Taste Full Beans Coffeehouse in downtown Hickory. The cost for the workshop is just $10, but registration is limited to just 12 participants, so early registration is encouraged. Contact Scott Owens at 828-234-4266 or [email protected] to register.

The workshop will be followed by a reading from Douglass’s new works, including his latest book, “Hard to Love.” Douglass’s reading will be followed by a 50 minute Open Mic. Anyone may read their work in the Open Mic and there is no fee for reading, but each reader is limited to 3 minutes, and registration is limited to 15 readers. To read you must be registered at Taste Full Beans by 7 PM on February 13.

Scott Owens at www.scottowenspoet.com.