Join the Day Eight community for the Marathon Reading Series, three nights of poetry readings 7 to 8pm, November 19, 20, and 21.
The Marathon Reading series features poets Gregory Luce, Rebecca Bishophall, Susan Mockler, Ori Soltes, David Ebenbach, Jessica Genia Simon, Robert Bettmann, youth poets and special guests. The reading series was created connected to Day Eight’s 2025 fundraising campaign: the Literary Marathon for DC Youth. With a goal of raising needed support for the organization’s youth programs, the Marathon includes “runners” who have donated and are asking supporters to match their donations. Tune in November 19, 20, and 21 for the Marathon Reading series events!
Click here for details and to RSVP for the November 19 reading featuring Gregory Luce, Rebecca Bishophall and Susan Mockler
Click here for details and to RSVP for the November 20 reading featuring Jewish poets Ori Soltes, David Ebenbach, Jessica Genia Simon, and Robert Bettmann
Click here for details and to RSVP for the November 21 reading featuring youth poets, hosted by Margary Rogers
Short bios of Marathon Reading Series featured authors
Gregory Luce is the author of five books of poems: Signs of Small Grace, Drinking Weather, Memory and Desire, Tile, and Riffs & Improvisations. Gregory is the co-founder of Washington Unbound and an editor of the Mid-Atlantic Review.
Rebecca Bishophall is the co-author of Breaking the Blank. Sistah Joy, Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Maryland described, “Breaking the Blank is a contemporary treasure.” Rebecca has featured in numerous poetry reading series and is the workshop leader for Day Eight’s women and girls writing program.
Susan Bucci Mockler’s poetry has appeared in literary journals including the Mid-Atlantic Review, Maryland Literary Review, peachvelvet, Maximum Tilt, Pilgrimage Press, Crab Orchard Review, Poet Lore, The Northern Virginia Review, and numerous others. Her poetry collection, Covenant (With), was published by Kelsay Books and she teaches writing at Howard University.
Ori Soltes teaches theology, art history, philosophy, and political history at Georgetown University. He has authored or edited scores of books, articles, exhibit catalogues, and essays and three collections of poetry. Dr. Soltes serves on the Board of Directors for Day Eight and was co-editor of the Jewish Experience section of poems published by the Mid-Atlantic Review.
David Ebenbach is the author of numerous books of fiction (How to Mars, Miss Portland, The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy, Into the Wilderness, Between Camelots), poetry (Some Unimaginable Animal, We Were the People Who Moved), and essays (The Artist’s Torah). He lives very happily with his family in Washington, DC, where he teaches creative writing at Georgetown University.
Jessica Genia Simon has had poems published in journals including the Atlanta Review, the Mid-Atlantic Review, and Super Stoked: An Anthology of Queer Poetry. She works at a gun violence prevention nonprofit in D.C. and lives with her wife and daughter in Silver Spring, Maryland. Her first poetry collection, Built of All I Shape and Name, was released in 2023 from Kelsay Books.
Robert Bettmann is managing editor of Day Eight’s literary magazine, the Mid-Atlantic Review and serves as editor for the majority of books acquired and published by Day Eight. Robert is the author of the book, Somatic Ecology: Somatics, Nature, Humanity, and the Human Body and co-editor with Susan Meehan of Falling Leaves: an interfaith poetry anthology on the topic of consolation and loss.