February Laureate Writers’ Series Features Cynthia Marie Hoffman

Tuesday | February 4 | 7 pm
Blue Heron Coffeehouse | 162 W 2nd St.

The Laureate Writers’ Series for February 4 will feature Cynthia Marie Hoffman at the Blue Heron Coffeehouse. Hoffman, from Madison, Wisconsin, is the author of four books of poetry, and has had her work published in several outstanding journals.

Her recent work, “Exploding Head,” was recently published by Persea Books of New York. The book takes us into the mind of a woman living with OCD, otherwise known as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It reflects how such a mind sees the world, responds to it and copes with it in daily life.

Eugenia Leigh, author and critic, says of Hoffman’s work: She “scrutinizes the child self and the mother self with absorbing candor, precision, music and urgency in this harrowing world where ‘birds bomb through the air like the skulls of galloping horses.’

Hoffman will present her work and respond to audience questions. Her comments will be followed by an open mic period, during which members of the audience are welcome to read short works of their own.

The Laureates Series is sponsored by the Blue Heron Coffee Shop, by Shipwreckt Books and Second Chapter Books of Winona, and by Friends of the Winona Public Library. The program begins at 7 p.m. and takes place at the Blue Heron Coffeeshop, which serves beverages and treats.

Shipwreckt Books and Laureate Writers Series organizers Ken McCullough and Emilio DeGrazia are members of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/membership/.