Speak!Poet Featuring Anis Shivani and Chris Wise

Speak!Poet rounds out its 2015 program with noted Houston poets Chris Wise and Anis Shivani. The event will be held Saturday, October 17, 2 p.m. at Inprint House, 1520 W. Main St., Houston, TX, 77006.

Speak!Poet is the innovative poetry series that breaks the mold of conventional readings by presenting a moderated discussion with the poets on their work and its processes. The discussion includes audience participation. Speak!Poet is moderated by Winston Derden, who co-produces the event with Stephen Gros.

The event is free and open to the public.

POET BIOS AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES:

Chris Wise is a poet and novelist. He has been published in various poetry anthologies and small press literary magazines such as Nerve Cowboy, Blue Collar Review, and Road Not Taken. He has been a featured author in Cowboys and Indians Magazine and has made several appearances on KPFT’s Living Art, KH-TV.com, the Word Around Town Poetry Tour, and Houston Public Poetry.

He also served on the 2015 selection committees for both the WAT tour and Houston Public Poetry. His book Colliding With Orion (a collection of poetry, short stories, and essays on craft) from Absey & Co. will be released in the fall of 2016. He is a veteran of the US Army and earned an English degree from Texas A&M.

Anis Shivani is a fiction writer, poet, and critic. His debut poetry book My Tranquil War and Other Poems was published by NYQ Books. The story collection, The Fifth Lash and Other Stories, was released by C&R Press and is currently on the longlist for the Frank O’Connor short story award.

His poetry and criticism appear in a wide variety of publications including Southwest Review, Boston Review, Threepenny Review, Prairie Schooner, Times Literary Supplement, London Magazine, Cambridge Quarterly, Contemporary Review, Antigonish Review, Dalhousie Review, and many others. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and won a 2012 Pushcart Prize. He is a graduate of Harvard College.