The Cross Review and Reading Series cross-pollinates New York and New Jersey writers west of the Hudson in Jersey City’s WORD Bookstore. Each reading showcases at least one writer from Jersey and one from New York. Founder and curator of Cross, Jen DeGregorio, mentioned at the last reading that WORD was the ideal host since it has two locations, one in each state, thus making it the perfect symbol of the series’ mission: “a bridge between the New York/Brooklyn and New Jersey poetry worlds.”

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The Disagreement, an edited reading series, recently hosted “I kept telling myself you’re ok; you’re not that bad” at The Hi-Fi Bar in the East Village. The Disagreement’s founders, editors and hosts, Bryant Musgrove and Melissa Swantkowski, seek work for their series that “demands to be read aloud.” They aim to present “the funny in the sad, grotesque, and the perverse.” On Janurary 13th, they certainly met that criteria.

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ARTS By The People (ABTP) is a nonprofit organization based in Northern New Jersey that runs workshops in the fields of visual and performing arts as well as creative writing. ABTP also holds reading series throughout the year and an open mic event, The Platform, the first Wednesday of every month at Drip Coffee in Morristown, New Jersey. Most recently, ABTP collaborated with Warrior Writers (WW), a national nonprofit that works with servicemen and veterans, hosting a reading at Drip on Tuesday, October 14th. Paul Rabinowitz, the founder of ABTP and a veteran himself, read alongside six Warrior Writers. The reading was the embodiment of ABTP’s belief that “the arts can bridge social divisions and strengthen understanding, collaboration and acceptance in communities.”

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English Kills Review contributor Britt Melewski launched a new poetry series entitled Free Water. These readings occur every other month at the KGB Bar in New York City’s East Village. With Free Water, Melewski strives to bring together various voices to a place that is both welcoming and captivating. This young series already delivers on that intention. The environment at a Free Water reading is engaging, smart, and funny. It seems to call out to us: Come on in; the water’s fine.

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Although we often focus on New York City’s literary scene, countless events occur elsewhere. Newark, New Jersey is home to Brick City Speaks (BCS), a new series hosted on the second Monday of every month, one of many exciting readings that take place in that city. Like other Newark series, BCS creates a community for writers and linguaphiles. BCS also links the students and instructors of Rutgers University with the City of Newark. BCS takes place in Hell’s Kitchen Lounge, located on Lafayette Street, concurrent with Margarita Monday. Hell’s Kitchen is a popular bar in Newark and frequently hosts various events, including comedy and burlesque shows. It was an ideal choice for reading series co-founders, Ines Lopes and Marina Carreira.

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