Born in Chicago, Illinois, Mary F. Lenox is a poet, writer, speaker, and educator. She was a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the School of Library and Information Science, later serving as dean for 12 years. She is the author of two books of poetry, Threads of Grace: Selected Poems (2015) and Riches of Life: Poems (2019). She resides in San Diego, Ca.

Hold on to Hope

In the darkest night
travel lightly
into the darkness.
Let go of the temptation
to turn around or give up.
Just keep on walking
step by step
toward the light.

Mary will be featured at The African American Experience: A Poet’s Perspective online Zoom poetry reading and open mic on Saturday, June 27 at 1 – 2:30 pm (PST). She is one of the co-founders of Emerging Poets of San Diego. She will share poems and stories of her ancestors that inspired her creative poetry journey. Their courage, strength, and perseverance are universal themes for hope in our world today.

Here is the Zoom link: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/99659649299

For the open mic portion of this event, feel free to share poems on any theme. Email your host, Ying Wu, to sign up in advance (yingchoon@gmail.com). Also visit Broken Anchor Poetry Meetup for more info: https://www.meetup.com/BrokenAnchorPoetry/