Literary Arts Fest Night
In conjunction with Sable Elyse Smith: Clockwork
Join us for an evening inspired by Sable Elyse Smith’s text-based series Landscapes, oversized neon works featuring the artist's poems writ large. This program brings together artists, writers, and practitioners whose works centers on text-based media.
While exploring the exhibition Sable Elyse Smith: Clockwork, take in contemplative reading and activities by The Reading Room HTX in the community room. Then make your way to the Moody Rooftop for complimentary refreshments and live poetry readings with Torch Literary Arts and on-the-spot poetry writing by our favorite word wranglers Typewriter Rodeo.
Event Schedule:
6P Rooftop seating & bar opens
7-8P Introductions & live poetry begins
8:30P Program ends
9P Museum closes
This event is programmed in conjunction with the 2026 Suzanne Deal Booth/FLAG Art Foundation Prize exhibition Sable Elyse Smith: Clockwork.
For accommodation needs, please contact [email protected]
Featured Poets
Zell Miller III is the inaugural Poet Laureate of Austin, Texas, an award-winning interdisciplinary theater artist, playwright, performer, and cultural innovator known for creating bold, thought-provoking work that explores identity, culture, and the human experience. Voted Best Poet/Writer by the Austin Chronicle in 2004 and inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2017, Miller has established himself as a powerful and influential voice in contemporary American arts. His work and performances have been, featured on PBS, KVUE News, and in the Austin Chronicle, reflecting his lasting impact on the cultural landscape. A nationally and internationally touring performer, Miller has opened for legendary artists including Nikki Giovanni and The Last Poets, and was a member of two competitive slam poetry teams. His poetic voice weaves together history, race, and emotion into dynamic narratives that resonate deeply with audiences. Influenced by personal experience and the evolving social and political climate, his work consistently challenges convention while encouraging reflection, dialogue, and community connection.
C. Prudence Arceneaux, a native Texan, is a poet who teaches English and Creative Writing at Austin Community College in Austin, TX. Her work has appeared in various journals, including The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, Limestone, New Texas, Hazmat Review, Texas Observer, Whiskey Island Magazine, African Voices, and Inkwell. She is the author of Proprioception, and of two chapbooks of poetry—Dirt (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and Liberty.
drea brown is a queer Black feminist poet-scholar whose writing has appeared in journals and anthologies such as Stand Our Ground: Poems for Marissa Alexander and Trayvon Martin, the Smithsonian Magazine, Southern Indiana Review, Bellingham Review and About Place Journal. drea is the author of dear girl: a reckoning, winner of the Gold Line Press 2014 chapbook prize, and co-editor of Teaching Black: The Craft of Teaching on Black Life and Literature (U Pittsburgh 2021). Their forthcoming monograph Conjuring the Haint: The Haunting Poetics of Black Women (UPM 2025), explores the role of haunting in Black women’s literature and lived experiences.
Amanda Johnston is a writer, visual artist, and the 61st Poet Laureate of Texas. She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine. She is the author of two chapbooks, GUAP and Lock & Key, as well as the full-length collection Another Way to Say Enter. She is also the editor of the anthology Praisesong for the People: Poems from the Heart and Soul of Texas. Her work has appeared in numerous online and print publications, among them Callaloo, Poetry Magazine, The Moth Radio Hour, Bill Moyers, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships, grants, and awards from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, Tasajillo, the Kentucky Foundation for Women, The Watermill Center, American Short Fiction, and the Academy of American Poets. She is a former Board President of the Cave Canem Foundation and the founder of Torch Literary Arts.
Event Partners
Torch Literary Arts is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women. Torch Literary Arts publishes contemporary writing by experienced and emerging writers alike, and has featured work by Tayari Jones, Sharon Bridgforth, Crystal Wilkinson, Patricia Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Elizabeth Alexander, and others. Programs include the Wildfire Reading Series, writing workshops, retreats, and special events that amplify literary arts across the Black diaspora.
The Reading Room HTX is an independent reference library anchored by a growing collection of 800+ books on Black visual art, culture, and history. The library hosts free programs, from salons to film screenings and educational workshops, all designed to promote literacy and critical thinking. Browse the collection online or in person at Sanman Studios in Houston, Texas.
Image: Installation view, Sable Elyse Smith: Clockwork, The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center on Congress Avenue, Texas, 2026. Artwork © Sable Elyse Smith. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Alex Boeschenstein.