Carmen Calatayud is the daughter of a Spanish immigrant father and Irish immigrant mother. Her book In the Company of Spirits was a runner-up for the Academy of American Poets Walt Whitman Award, and a finalist for the Andrés Montoya Book Prize. Her poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies, and her writing has won a Best of La Bloga Award and a Larry Neal Poetry Award. From 2010-2015, Carmen was a poet moderator for Poets Responding, a Facebook group that featured poetry and news about Arizona’s 2010 immigration law that legalized racial profiling, and now focuses on a variety of human rights issues.

Carmen will read at JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival on Saturday, October 13. Very exciting!

We are thrilled to welcome poet Ben Atkinson to the JaxbyJax Literary Arts Festival on Saturday October 13, 2018.

Ben Atkinson writes poetry to capture moments that transcend the mundane. Active with Ancient City Poets, Ben often reads his work at the Corazon Cinema and Café in St. Augustine. He also reads locally at several venues around town in Jacksonville. Ben holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He likes turtles. Ben is an assistant professor of natural sciences at Flagler College. His first collection of poems, “Spider Lightning” is underway. Ben lives in Avondale with his wife Meg, daughter Zoe, rescue mutt Marley, and a son who’s due to debut soon.