Upcoming Events
I run writing workshops and retreats and perform at poetry readings. Come see me!
For bookings, email hbranco21@gmail.com.
Shibboleth Writers’ Retreat
FEBRUARY OR MARCH 2026
A "shibboleth" is a word, phrase, or custom that reveals the identity of the person speaking or acting it out. The word originates from the Book of Judges. After the people of Gilead defeated the tribe of Ephraim, they identified and killed the surviving Ephraimites by telling them to say the word, "shibboleth." The Ephraimites pronounced the "sh" sound as if it were an "s"—it sounded to the Gileadites as if they were saying, "sibboleth."
This private writing retreat will take place during the spring of 2026.
Past Events
Poetry Workshop
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1ST 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.
HACKETTSTOWN FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Maybe you love poetry. Maybe you hate it. Maybe you write it. Maybe you don’t. Maybe poetry frightens you, just as it frightens so many of my novel-loving friends. Whoever you are, and however much experience you have with poetry, there’s a place for you here! (That is, as long as we haven’t maxed out on registrants yet.)
This 1.5-hour workshop will be a creative, generative, exploratory space. We will begin by reading and discussing a few poems that model the week’s topic. Topics might include, for instance, praise poems, elegies, ghazals, memory poems, or ars poeticas. Then, we’ll respond to a prompt to write our own poems. After that, there will be an opportunity for sharing work.
Flash Fiction Workshop
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8TH @ 6:30
CHESTER LIBRARY
Like lightning, a “flash fiction” story is short and striking—it’s here and gone in a flash. Usually, these bite-sized stories are 1 to 1000 words long.
This workshop is for middle and high school students. Attendance is free!
Poetry in the Garden
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2025 @ 5:00pm
ELIZABETH STREET GARDEN
A free, public poetry reading hosted by McNally Jackson in Manhattan’s most beautiful garden.