# Event Details

- **Event Name**: NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc
- **Event Start and End Date**: Wed, 14 May, 2025 at 06:00 pm – Wed, 14 May, 2025 at 07:30 pm
- **Event Description**: SPACE & Mechanics’ Hall team up for BIG READ, hosting collaborative events, reading groups and workshops on Ilya Kaminsky's Deaf RepublicAbout this EventJoin us in the historic Mechanics' Hall Library for a one-time book club facilitated by Gibson Fay-LeBlanc, the Executive Director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.Whether you're familiar with Kaminsky's work or new to his poetry, this event offers a unique opportunity to reflect on art and silence as tools of resistance and the power of human connection in difficult times. Come for the poetry, stay for the conversation.Complimentary copies of the book can be picked up at Mechanics’ Hall and SPACE Gallery.Tea and snacks will be provided. This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited so please register in advance.SPACE Gallery & Mechanics’ Hall are hosting collaborative programming, reading groups, and workshops around Ilya Kaminsky's book of poems Deaf Republic. This series explores themes of community loss, accessibility, silence as resistance, love in the face of violence and war, and artists exploring deafness and tinnitus.Gibson Fay-LeBlanc’s first collection of poems, Death of a Ventriloquist, won the Vassar Miller Prize and was featured by Poets & Writers as one of a dozen debut collections to watch. His second book, Deke Dangle Dive, was published by CavanKerry Press in 2021. Gibson’s poems have appeared in magazines including The New Republic, Tin House, Narrative, Poetry Northwest, and Orion. With graduate degrees from UC Berkeley and Columbia University, Gibson has taught writing at conferences, schools and universities including Fordham, Haystack, and University of Southern Maine, and helped lead community arts organizations including The Telling Room, SPACE Gallery, and Hewnoaks. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and lives in Portland with his family.https://www.mainewriters.org/https://www.instagram.com/mainewriters207/PARKING & TRANSPORTATIONMechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.ACCESSIBILITYTo enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step. There is a wheelchair modular ramp available upon request and an elevator with a 3' width.If you have questions please contact us at programming@mainemechanics.org or 207-773-8396.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/portland/nea-big-read-|-one-night-book-club-of-deaf-republic-w-gibson-fay-leblanc/100001332148294409
- **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, workshops, it
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD

## Event venue details

- **city**: Portland
- **state**: ME
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Mechanics' Hall
- **lat**: 43.6562436
- **long**: -70.2611664
- **full address**: Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland, United States

## Event gallery

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## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc being held?
  - **A:** NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc takes place on Wed, 14 May, 2025 at 06:00 pm to Wed, 14 May, 2025 at 07:30 pm at Mechanics' Hall, 519 Congress St., Portland, United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc?
  - **A:** NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc is organized by SPACE.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Portland, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. If NEA Big Read | One-night Book Club of 'Deaf Republic' w/ Gibson Fay-LeBlanc sounds like your kind of event, don't wait - spots fill up fast.

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