Gather 68
Mar
18
6:00 PM18:00
Gather

Gather 68

Please join us for MWPA’s beloved GATHER event series! On Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 at 6:00 PM, MWPA members & friends can attend an in-person Gather at one of several locations around the state.

To join an in-person event, find the most convenient location below, and gather with us!

Please note: A couple of our regular Gather locations will not be meeting this month, and some new Gathers have begun or recently rejoined the mix. Please check the details below very closely. You can reach out to your local Gather host for questions and concerns surrounding illness protocols and precautions. For more information, contact Rachael at: rachael@mainewriters.org.

About GATHER: GATHER encourages members (and their friends!) to meet and mingle with fellow members in locations around Maine for camaraderie and conversation. There is no agenda to GATHER besides getting together with your community of fellow writers and literary professionals to talk writing, reading, and life.

While GATHER events are not open readings, manuscript exchanges, or organized writing-prompt sessions, they are opportunities for literary-minded folks to meet and plan any of those things and more. Food and drink is most always available for purchase.

In-Person Events:

AROOSTOK
Host: Kim Wright (bkwrights75@gmail.com)
Location: Governor’s Restaurant (350 Main Street, Presque Isle)

BANGOR
Host: Annaliese Jakimides (a.jakimides@gmail.com)
Location: Sea Dog Brewing (26 Front Street, Bangor)

BLUE HILL
Hosts: Marie Epply & Sarah Pebworth (mmepply@yahoo.com, sapebworth@gmail.com)
Location: Marlintini's Grill (83 Mines Road, Blue Hill)

BRUNSWICK
Hosts: Alix Morris, Peter Owen ( alix.morris@gmail.com, peterowen326@gmail.com)
Location: Flight Deck (11 Atlantic Ave, Brunswick)

DAMARISCOTTA
Hosts: Andrea Vassallo (andrea.granted@gmail.com)
Location: Damariscotta River Grill (155 Main Street, Damariscotta)

EASTPORT
Hosts: Valerie Lawson (Valerie_Lawson1@hotmail.com)
Location: Horn Run Brewing (75 Water Street, Eastport, ME 04631)

L/A
Hosts: Darren Deth (darren.deth@vcfa.edu)
Location: 84 Court Pizza & Restaurant (84 Court Street, Auburn)

LUBEC
Hosts: Stephanie Gough (stephgough@gmail.com)
Location: Lubec Brewing Co. (41 S Water Street, Lubec)

MID COAST
Host: Chris Friden and Lee Reilly (chrisfriden@me.com) (reillytide@yahoo.com)
Location: 40 Paper (40 Washington Street, Camden)

PORTLAND
Host: Katie Bonadies (katie@belleflowerbrewing.com)
Location: Belleflower Brewing (66 Cove Street, Portland)

SOUTH PORTLAND
Hosts: Dodie Hamblin (dodiehamblen@yahoo.com)
Location: Lambs (695 Broadway, South Portland, ME 04106)

We would like to express our deepest gratitude for seasoned Maine writer and long-time Gather Host John Rule who has made his exit from this realm; not before leaving an indelible mark on our community. John will be profoundly missed. Stephanie Gough has agreed to host the Lubec Gather, which we believe is a perfect salute to John and his dedication to creative writing community.

  • John D. Rule II

    John Dukes Rule II of Lubec, Maine, moved on to his next chapter, unexpectedly, after a brief illness on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025.

    John was born in San Diego, CA, on May 30, 1947. As a “Navy Brat,” he lived in many places across the country. Even after marrying Denise Dalton in 1973, his job required major moves around the country. And then he and Denise found Lubec, or more correctly, Lubec found them. They adopted Lubec as their permanent home and happily lived there full-time for the past fifteen years.

    John excelled as a teacher, mentor, storyteller, craftsman, photographer, husband, father, and grandfather. After a career focused on business writing, he turned to creative writing. He was also a freelance journalist for The Quoddy Tides. But his passion was writing novels, of which he published more than 20. He loved sharing his craft with other writers and looked forward to the annual Black Fly writers’ workshops and the “Gather” events, which he hosted in Lubec at the Lubec Brewing Company.

    Life has its twists and turns, and like a good novel, the reader may not guess the ending. As John often said, “I won’t know the ending till I get there.”

View Event →
Gather 67
Jan
21
6:00 PM18:00
Gather

Gather 67

Please join us for MWPA’s beloved GATHER event series! On Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM, MWPA members & friends can attend an in-person Gather at one of several locations around the state OR join an online Poetry Gather.

To sign up for the online Gather, click the corresponding RSVP link below. On the afternoon of the Gather date, you’ll receive an email with a link to join your Gather on Zoom.

To join an in-person event, find the most convenient location below, and gather with us!

Please note: A couple of our regular Gather locations will not be meeting this month, and some new Gathers have begun or recently rejoined the mix. Please check the details below very closely. You can reach out to your local Gather host for questions and concerns surrounding illness protocols and precautions. For more information, contact Samara at: samara@mainewriters.org.

About GATHER: GATHER encourages members (and their friends!) to meet and mingle with fellow members in locations around Maine for camaraderie and conversation. There is no agenda to GATHER besides getting together with your community of fellow writers and literary professionals to talk writing, reading, and life.

While GATHER events are not open readings, manuscript exchanges, or organized writing-prompt sessions, they are opportunities for literary-minded folks to meet and plan any of those things and more. Food and drink is most always available for purchase.

Online Gather:

POETRY
Host: Jeri Theriault & Jefferson Navicky
RSVP HERE

In-Person Events:

AROOSTOOK
Host: Kim Wright (bkwrights75@gmail.com)
Location: Governor’s Restaurant (350 Main Street, Presque Isle)

BANGOR
Host: Annaliese Jakimides (a.jakimides@gmail.com)
Location: Sea Dog Brewing (26 Front Street, Bangor)

BLUE HILL
Hosts: Marie Epply & Sarah Pebworth (mmepply@yahoo.com, sapebworth@gmail.com)
Location: Marlintini's Grill (83 Mines Road, Blue Hill)

BRUNSWICK
Hosts: Molly McGrath, Alix Morris, Peter Owen (molly@pinkeraserpress.com, alix.morris@gmail.com, peterowen326@gmail.com)
Location: Ram & Bull *SECOND FLOOR* (123 Main St, Brunswick)

DAMARISCOTTA
Hosts: Andrea Vassallo (andrea.granted@gmail.com)
Location: Damariscotta River Grill (155 Main Street, Damariscotta)

LUBEC
Hosts: Stephanie Gough (stephgough@gmail.com)
Location: Lubec Brewing Co. (41 S Water Street, Lubec)

MIDCOAST
Host: Chris Friden & Lee Reilly (chrisfriden@me.com, reillytide@yahoo.com)
Location: 40 Paper (40 Washington Street, Camden)

PORTLAND
Host: Katie Bonadies (katie@belleflowerbrewing.com)
Location: Belleflower Brewing (66 Cove Street, Portland)

SOUTH PORTLAND
Host: Chelsea Conaboy (cconaboy@gmail.com)
Location: Lambs (695 Broadway, South Portland)

This month, we would like to express our deepest gratitude for seasoned Maine writer and long-time Gather Host John Rule who has made his exit from this realm; not before leaving an indelible mark on our community. John will be profoundly missed. Stephanie Gough has agreed to host the Lubec Gather, which we believe is a perfect salute to John and his dedication to creative writing community.

  • John D. Rule II

    John Dukes Rule II of Lubec, Maine, moved on to his next chapter, unexpectedly, after a brief illness on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2025.

    John was born in San Diego, CA, on May 30, 1947. As a “Navy Brat,” he lived in many places across the country. Even after marrying Denise Dalton in 1973, his job required major moves around the country. And then he and Denise found Lubec, or more correctly, Lubec found them. They adopted Lubec as their permanent home and happily lived there full-time for the past fifteen years.

    John excelled as a teacher, mentor, storyteller, craftsman, photographer, husband, father, and grandfather. After a career focused on business writing, he turned to creative writing. He was also a freelance journalist for The Quoddy Tides. But his passion was writing novels, of which he published more than 20. He loved sharing his craft with other writers and looked forward to the annual Black Fly writers’ workshops and the “Gather” events, which he hosted in Lubec at the Lubec Brewing Company.

    Life has its twists and turns, and like a good novel, the reader may not guess the ending. As John often said, “I won’t know the ending till I get there.”

View Event →