Poetry at the Manse: Jean L. Kreiling, Liane St. Laurent, Merryn Rutledge

[August 23, 2:00-3:00 pm]

The NEPC’s 2026 season at The Old Manse in Concord, Mass., continues on Sunday, August 23. This free reading will be held under a tent outdoors, at an accessible venue.

Make a day of it! Arrive early or linger after the reading to explore the orchard, stroll along the Concord River, or enjoy a picnic on the grounds. You can also deepen your visit by joining a guided tour of the historic house before or after the event.

Learn more and pre-register for a tour: https://thetrustees.org/place/the-old-manse/.

Jean L. Kreiling is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently Home and Away; her fifth will be published later this year. Her work has been awarded the Frost Farm Prize, the Rhina Espaillat Poetry Prize, the Kim Bridgford Memorial Sonnet Prize, and three New England Poetry Club prizes, among other honors. A Professor Emeritus of Music at Bridgewater State University, she has published articles on the intersections between music and literature in numerous academic journals. She currently serves as an Associate Poetry Editor for Able Muse Review, and she lives on the coast of Massachusetts.

Liane St. Laurent has worn many hats: horse-drawn carriage driver, apple picker, English teacher, She is now a retired IT professional. Her poetry appears in The Banyan Review, Emerge Literary Journal, Roi Fainéant Press, Yellow Arrow Journal, Touchstone, Soundings East, and Smoky Quartz, among others. Her debut chapbook is un/winter (Bee Monk Press, 2025.) Liane lives in NH with her husband, two dogs, and an array of woodland creatures.

Winner of Orison Books’ 2023 Best Spiritual Literature poem prize and a Naugatuck River Review 2024 Best Narrative Poem finalist, Merryn Rutledge is the author of the collections Sweet Juice and Ruby-Bitter Seed and To Carve a Path Through Thickets (Kelsay Books). She also teaches poetry craft, reviews new poetry books, sings, and dances.