​The WRB Presents the next in a regular series of readings attracting and spotlighting literary talent in Washington, D.C., hosted by Michael Barron, Lauren Cerand, and Chris McCaffery. On the evening of April 9, these five writers will read from their work:

​Diana Brown,

​who grew up in the foothills of Utah’s gorgeous Wasatch Mountains, the seventh of eleven kids, a mash-up of gnocchi-loving Sicilians on one side of the family and Mormon pioneers on the other. She works for a media non-profit called Faith Matters, where she co-hosts The Soloists podcast and directs a depolarization initiative.

​Owen Paul Edwards,

​who is from Southern Maryland. His writing has recently appeared in HAD, the Rose Books Reader, and X-R-A-Y Lit Mag. He is an editor for Hominum Journal and BRUISER.

​Celeste Marcus,

​the managing editor of Liberties Journal, the WRB’s parent publication. She is the co-host with Chris McCaffery of the D.C. Salon. Her first book, Chaim Soutine, will be released in October of this year.

​Will Snider,

​a D.C.-based writer. His play How to Use a Knife won Philadelphia’s Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play and was a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Drama. He’s working on his first novel and will share an excerpt from it.

​Kelly Xio,

​a poet, writer, and editor who likes peonies, jalapeño flavored chips and that wet dirt smell after rain. Described as "Emily Dickinson with WiFi," their work explores themes of memory, loss, digital ephemera, and the intersections of personal and collective histories. Their writing has appeared in Cosmonauts Avenue, Shabby Doll House, Lowly Dirt Children, BRUISER, and other literary spaces. Kelly lives with her cat named Marshall.