Join us on Friday, April 18, 4:30-6pm at Gillespie Gallery in the Art and Design Building for two poetry readings followed by a Q&A led by Katey Funderburgh. Books will also be for sale!

Taylor Franson-Thiel and Martheaus Perkins, two Poetry MFA students at George Mason University both have debut poetry collections releasing in 2025. Perkins’s The Grace of Black Mothers and Franson-Thiel’s Bone Valley Hymnal both centralize on the impact of maternal lineage. What burdens do we lift from our mothers’ shoulders? How does poetry help us explore our inherited traumas? This event will showcase both debut collections and curate a conversation about publishing as a student. 

About the Writers and Moderator

Taylor Franson-Thiel is the author of “Bone Valley Hymnal” (ELJ Editions 2025). She is an editorial reader for Poetry Daily, the Assistant Poetry Editor for phoebe and the EIC of BRAWL. She can be found on Twitter @TaylorFranson and at taylorfranson-thiel.com

Martheaus Perkins was born to a single mother in Center, Texas. After a childhood in and out of homes in Houston, he graduated from Stephen F. Austin University as a first-generation student. His debut poetry collection, "The Grace of Black Mothers," releases in 2025. He currently lives in the DMV, co-edits BRAWL Lit, and teaches at George Mason University.

Katey Funderburgh is a queer poet from Colorado. As a current MFA student at George Mason University, she is a co-coordinator for the Incarcerated Writer's Project of phoebe journal. She serves as a Poetry Alive! fellow and is a 2025 Cheuse Travel Research Grant recipient. Her favorite things include very tall trees, very strong coffee, and her very wonderful community.