Los Angeles poet laureate Lynne Thompson, author talk and book signing in Southampton

You can join Lynne Thompson, Los Angeles poet laureate, for her author talk and book signing of Blue on a Blue Palette at Southampton’s radical independent bookstore October Books, on Wednesday 8th May.

Blue on a Blue Palette reflects on the condition of women—their joys despite their histories, and their insistence on survival as issues of race, culture, pandemic, and climate threaten their livelihoods. The documentation of these personal odysseys—which vary stylistically from abecedarians to free verse to centos—replicate the many ways women travel through the stages of their lives, all negotiated on a palette encompassing various shades of blue. These poems demand your attention, your voice: “Say history. Claim. Say wild.”

The adopted daughter of Caribbean immigrants, Lynne Thompson was Los Angeles’ 2021-22 Poet Laureate and received a Poet Laureate Fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. She is the author of three previous collections of poetry: Beg No Pardon, Start With A Small Guitar, and Fretwork, winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of multiple awards and fellowships.

Tickets £3, via Lemon Booking. The cost of the ticket goes towards helping support your local independent bookshop and community space. Free tickets are available as part of October Books’ commitment to making our events accessible to all.