Pete’s Reading Series kicked off the 23rd Year with three readers taking the stage this week on Thursday, January 19, 2023, featuring readings from Kayla Maiuri, Sarah Bridgins, and Peter Orner.

This year, The Author’s Guild is sponsoring the reading series. The Guild provides writers with legal assistance and other resources.

Host Brian Gresko introduced the readers. Brian recently launched Writing Co-Lab with Amy Shearn and Sara Lippmann.

This author-owned cooperative offers online writing classes, and unlike most other programs, student fees go to the writing instructors. Classes begin next month. Check out their Instagram here, and the selection of classes available here.

Kayla Maiuri read from the beginning of her novel, Mother In the Dark. The opening scene details the intimacy of two women in their twenties sharing an apartment. The novel alternates between Anna’s childhood as growing up in an Italian American family in Boston and her twenties.

Check out Kayla’s website here.

Sarah read a selection of poems from her debut collection, Death and Exes which was just released in December of 2022. She recently spoke with Tobias Carroll at Vol 1 Brooklyn, where she explained she wrote the collection over the six to seven years in her late twenties.

Sarah also co-founded and continues to run the Ditmas Lit reading series.

Check out her website here.

Peter Orner read several sections from his book Still No Word From You, which he describes as both a narrative and literary criticism. He’s written enough books, with this one he just wanted to write what he wanted, he explains.

He read a section about eating an edible at a child’s birthday party and then convincing himself he was dying of a heart attack. He was not.