Our Poets

Sarah Beach

Sarah Beach is a poet with an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Her debut poetry chapbook, Impact, comes out summer 2023 from Sundress Publications. Originally from the swamps of Southeast Texas, she now lives in Austin with her husband and two objectively adorable dogs. When not writing or working at her day job as a Clinic Administrator at Texas Law, she can be found sprawled out on the floor of a bookstore, submerged in a spring, or strolling around aimlessly with her pups. She types on a 1950s Smith Corona named Greta. More at: SarahReneeBeach.com

LaCole Foots

LaCole loves to learn about the world and uses her poetry to sift through some of the biggest questions we all face and dreams we all share. Her poetry anthology Durance is a collection of coping with grief, navigating relationships, and finding oneself in the process. She is continuing to explore these big questions through her current projects. She has an analytical background with an MPA from Carnegie Mellon University and when not writing poetry, she’s storytelling through data as a data strategist at her analytics firm, Jodon Maclem. She types on a 1930s green Remington Portable No. 3. More at: LaColeFoots.com

Rebecca Bendheim

Rebecca is a writer, middle school teacher, and occasional unicyclist with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has performed poetry at Lambda Litfest and Youth Speaks’ Queeriosity showcase. She types on a 1965 Olivetti Lettera DL and a purple 1930s Remington No. 3.

Bianca Pérez

Bianca Alyssa Pérez was born and raised in Mission, Texas — a small town bordering Mexico. She is a lecturer in the English Department at Texas State University, and has an MFA in Poetry from there as well. Her chapbook GEMINI GOSPEL will be published in March 2023 by Host Publications. Bianca is the Poetry Editor at Porter House Review and her poems have been published in Magma Poetry UK, ReclamationATX, The Sappho Diaries, East French Press, and elsewhere. Her poetry centers on the idea of her Latin culture, family, spirituality, and womanhood. She currently resides in a red cabin in the woods in San Marcos, Texas.

Liz Garton Scanlon

Liz is an award-winning children’s author and poet, with more books than we could list here! She also teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and when not writing, teaching, and reading, can be found in the outdoors with her husband and daughters. Liz types on a 1930s green Remington Portable No. 3. More at: Lizgartonscanlon.com

Jena Kirkpatrick

Jena has self-published eight books; co-written, directed and produced three multimedia performance art pieces; and competed in two National Poetry Slam competitions. She leads multiple workshops for Badgerdog Literary, a writers-in-the-schools nonprofit based in Austin. She is the editor of Writing for Positive Change, an anthology featuring members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas. She types on a 1940s Royal. More at: Jenapoetforhire.com

Michelle Mirsky

Michelle is a writer, storyteller, and occasional comedian with a BS in Film Studies from Boston University’s College of Communication. Her writing has appeared on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The Rumpus, and The Nervous Breakdown as well as in the Austin Chronicle and Oh Comely. Her essay EPILOGUE: DEADKIDISTAN appeared in Best American Essays 2013. Her stories can be heard onstage around Austin and on The Soundtrack Series podcast. She is currently (forever) at work on a collection of essays/memoir, and a novel. Michelle types on whatever typewriter she can get her hands on.

GennaRose Nethercott

Friend-of-the-Rodeo GennaRose sometimes joins at our New England gigs! She is a poet, performer, and folklorist from the forests of Brattleboro, Vermont, also occasionally living in Boston and New Orleans. She’s been typing poems-to-order across the globe since 2012. Her latest verse novel is The LumberJack’s Dove and her debut novel, Thistlefoot, came out fall 2022 and is rocking the reviews and sales charts! GennaRose types on a 1952 Hermes rocket. More at: GennaRoseNethercott.com

Lily Myers

Lily Myers is the backbone of our Seattle Rodeo! Lily graduated from Wesleyan University, where she competed on the slam poetry team and won Best Love Poem at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational for her poem, “Shrinking Women.” Her books include the YA novel in verse, This Impossible Light (Viking Books). She types on a 1930s Remington Portable named Wednesday.

Shanna Gerlach

Instead of going to preschool like most kids, Shanna spent her most formative toddler years at her family’s kitchen table splattered with paint and glue. Though Shanna doesn’t remember exactly what she created, she does remember how: with abandon, confidence, curiosity, and boundless ambition.

Shanna brings that same wonder and spark to her poetry. She also is an experienced branding and website-design professional, and has worked for several years as a camp advisor with Camp Kesem (a national non-profit for kids impacted by a parent’s cancer). She types on a 1928 Remington portable No. 2 and a 1969 Spanish-key Olivetti Valentine.