The featured reader for September will be Tonijean Bernbaum, who has been writing and sharing her poems for nearly 20 years in Mendocino County. She has been the featured reader at monthly poetry gatherings in the coastal towns of Point Arena and Mendocino, and has presented her work in collaboration with singer songwriter Lauren Brown in annual spring concerts at Spirit House in Fort Bragg. Toni’s poems have been published in New Millennium Magazine, The Sun, Sacred Reflections, and the North Carolina Women’s Review, and her piece, “Retrieval,” has been featured in the Northern California traveling poetry show Rumi’s Caravan. Toni is currently working on her first book of poems to be published, hopefully, before 2026.

Writers Read has been happening in Ukiah since 1999, and occurs on the last Thursday of almost every month. The program focuses on poetry, spoken word, short stories, song, and expository prose. The evening typically begins with a featured reader and then is followed by an hour of open mic starting around 8:00.

There is no fee, but donations are warmly appreciated.