08/05/2026
The Shawna Foundation’s poetry program returns with a new look, the Shivering Mouse Poetry Salon which will take place on the second Tuesday of the Month at the home of our new host, Art DuBois.
Salons began in the Middle East in the 7th Century with a rich history, that became immortalized by Gertrude Stein hosting salons in her Paris apartment in the 1900s where she gathered modernist poets and painters to reinvent avant-garde writing. No matter when or where. these gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate” and we are no different.
Host Art Dubois has been writing poetry for most of his life and recently recommitted himself to the art form with his first publication, Desperate Souls, Hopeful Hearts, a heartfelt collection of poems that gently explores life's struggles, losses, and pains with raw honesty and a voice uniquely Art’s. He has also been published in the Shawns Foundation’s publication, the Shivering Mouse Art & Poetry Review: Volume One.
He is a fixture at poetry readings throughout Central Massachusetts and his poem “Senses”, took 3rd Prize at the Worcester County Poetry Association’s Frank O’Hara Poetry Contest in 2024. It is only fitting that he is our first feature as we introduce the Salon. The reading format will consist of a feature and open mic segments.
The first Shivering Mouse Poetry Salon will take place on September 8th, with the reading starting at 6:30PM, 446 East St, Uxbridge, MA 01569.
