McIntyre's Reading Series: Bartholomew Barker, Scott Douglass, Dana Stone

Bartholomew Barker, Scott Douglass and Dana Stone will be featured readers at the NCPS-sponsored reading series at McIntyre's Book at Fearrington Village, located midway between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro off Highway 15/501. Carolyn and Guy York organize and oversee the program.

Bartholomew Barker is one of the organizers of Living Poetry. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, was published in 2013. His latest collection is Milkshakes & Chilidogs (http://a.co/cQHukmu), and is a collection of food-themed poetry. Born and raised in Ohio, he studied in Chicago and worked in Connecticut for nearly 20 years before moving to Hillsborough. In Hillsborough he makes money as a computer programmer to fund his poetry habit.

Scott Douglass is the Publisher and Managing Editor of Main Street Rag Publishing Company founded in 1996 with the publication of The Main Street Rag, a quarterly literary journal. He grew up in Pittsburgh and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife Jill. His poetry has appeared in such places as The Asheville Poetry Review, Iodine Poetry Journal, Southern Poetry Review, and Sundog among others. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 1993 and received an Emerging Artists Grant from the NC Arts and Science Council in 2001 which was used to publish his first book of poetry, Auditioning for Heaven. Other books include Balancing on Two Wheels (2003), STEEL WOMB Revisited (2005), and Hard to Love (2012). Mr. Douglass has a widely varied work background that includes stints in construction, demolition, coaching baseball and basketball, and owning a bookstore – all around a twenty-two year career as a dental technician. In 1998 he went back to school and earned a degree in graphic arts from Central Piedmont Community College, where he also taught for several years. His cover design work has won two PICA Awards along with several Indie Press nominations.

Dana Stone started writing poetry as a child, but began in earnest after she retired recently. Her first chapbook was Stepping Stones, which includes reflections on her life in Eastern North Carolina, where she lived for 15 years. Three years ago she realized a long-held desire to move to Durham. Originally from Virginia, she grew up around books and archives. Her father was a writer and his World War I experience is reflected in “Sepia.” Stone has degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Tennessee and worked as an alcoholism counselor and as a librarian in reference and children’s services for 15 years. Publications include Music for the Prose, Snapdragon, Fox Adoption Magazine, County Lines, the Eno River Magazine, and The News and Observer. Currently she is working on a book of poems inspired by the American Dance Festival, in which she has participated and volunteered for three years. Her writing has been influenced by Randall Jarrell, William Stafford, Mary Oliver, and Peter Makuck. She has studied with Jo Taylor, Florence Nash, and Peter Makuck.