Please join us on Tuesday, October 9 at 7 PM as Unbuttoned presents Easthampton’s first Poet Laureate Gary Metras, who will read from his work. Gary’s presentation will be preceded by the traditional half-hour open mike session.

Metras is a poet, printer, publisher, teacher, and fly fisherman. He is the author of “White Storm” (Presa Press, 2018), “Two Bloods: Fly Fishing Poems” (winner of the Split Oak Press Poetry Chapbook Award), and “Francis d’Assisi” (Finishing Line Press, 2008), which was a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award.

In 1979 Metras founded Adastra Press, which prints and publishes short collections of quality contemporary poetry using the methods of the antique book arts, letterpress printing, and hand-sewn bindings. He has worked with and published such renowned poets as Thomas Lux, Michael Casey and Ed Ochester and has published many debut collections. Adastra Press has produced over 80 titles by more than fifty poets from around the country.

Gary and his wife Natalie have lived in Easthampton for 40 years. They have two children, Nadia and Jason, and a granddaughter named Piper.

The Easthampton Poet Laureate award has been funded by the Easthampton Cultural Council, with generous support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Unbuttoned is supported by a grant from the Easthampton Cultural Council, which is in turn supported my the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Photo credit: Daily Hampshire Gazette