Poets Coffee Table Talk

Just like in the old days when poets came together, perhaps imbibed, or had some coffee, and talked about the problems of the world and how they would use poetry to speak their minds. This is a Coffee Table Talk.

For this event, we will be talking about the crafting of a poem. What do you use or do to inspire a poem? Who/what is your muse, do you use pictures, memories, events, or a combination? And any pointers to help others develop their work as a poetry writer.

And each panelist will also be sharing their poetry.

Panelists will be:

Noelle Nams

Justine Quammie

Utkarsh Saraswat

Annette Tarpley

Jim Ellis

Noelle Nams is a published author and poet, public speaker, and social activist and has been writing since her childhood. She published her first book “It’s all bcoz of you” a college romance fiction novel, when she was 22 years old. In August 2020 she published her second book, which is her debut poetry book- “Unconditional - Breaking free for love” a collection of 101 eternal love poems. This book was #1 New Release on Amazon within 24 hours of launching. She just released "Unconditional Vibes." Nams is on Social Media and her books can be found on Amazon.

Justine Quammie is a human being engaged in multiple roles, and answers to names like: daughter, cousin, writer, activist, and creative. Primary loves swing between nature, and the arts. Justine enjoys being called, Professor Quammie by her students at Prince George’s Community College where she helps freshmen gain life skills necessary for college and personal prosperity. Between 2017 and 2018, Justine published 2 books of poetry; the first one was titled, "Tributes and Metaphors," and the most recent book was, "#truthchapters: A Collection of Creative Writing." Her books are on Amazon under Travelling Roots. Currently, she runs a blog centered around police officers who want to explore alternative and rewarding life or career paths at quammiecreativecourses.com.

Utkarsh Saraswat is a college student studying medicine and is a writer by passion. He is well known for his free flowing relatable poems and short stories. Utkarsh was born in a town near Moradabad, India on June 27, 2000. He is in college. His love for literature started in his school days when he was very fond of writing speeches, essay and short stories. He was also fond of debates and song-writing (which he admits are hilariously embarrassing). This habit of song-writing later turned into his love for poetry, which he used to write as a vent to his emotions. In June 2017, after some inspiration from his family and with some help from his dad, Utkarsh announced his first book, “Melody Of Words”, which was a compilation of some of his best poems at that time and topped at 6th in poetry on Amazon.

Annette (Wengert) Tarpley resides in Virginia. She works as a nurse practitioner by day and poet by night. New to the online Facebook poetry community, in short span has received numerous accolades and awards. She has published her book of poetry, “Poetry Potpourri,” which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles, comprised of a variety of over 110 poems. Recently, she collaborated with Sarfraz Ahmed to create and publish "Two Hearts." A playlist of her poems can be found on YouTube, by “The Sparrow.” Annette is the founder and administrator of, “The Passion of Poetry,” found on Facebook.

James Anthony Ellis is a man of many creative talents, and remains true to his path: as journalist, filmmaker, videographer, playwright, screenwriter and author. His first book, Starting Point; A Guide to Metaphysics, the Golden Time and Love, was initially published in 1989. Other books include Life Traveler, Tears, Breadcrumbs, The Honor Book, and Huh? The Joys, Sorrows and Comic Relief of Miscommunication. He can be reached at www.LegacyProductions.org.

Audience participation will be welcome post the panel discussion.

This event will be recorded for YouTube and the podcast.