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Oct. 5 Reading, The Gift of Poetry: Five of our favorite area poets gathered to read their signature work. More poetry events are coming in 2026!

Oct. 5, 2025 — The art of poetry writing is celebrated at Elaine’s, including today’s readings by area poets, including:

K.P. (Katherine) Anderson: K.P. Anderson is an award-winning poet who lives and writes in Washington, DC. Her chapbook Mellifluous (https://therawartreview.com/2022/03/29/announcing-the-publication-of-mellifluous-written-by-k-p-anderson/), which arose from her fascination with bees and her years keeping a Warré hive, is a winner of the Uncollected Press Full Length Book or Chapbook of Poetry Contest and was featured by American Bee Journal as a Spring Read. Her poem “Correspondence” is included as a finalist in Public Poetry’s Pandemic Poems anthology, and her chapbook Upsurgent was chosen as a finalist in Cordella Press’s Poetry Chapbook Contest. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Strong Verse, District Lines, Hope and Heart Unite for ME/CFS Poetry and Art Slam, Forbidden Peak Press, The Raw Art Review, District Lit, and elsewhere. Her work is informed in part by her interests in dance, science, and art. She holds a degree in genetics from Cornell University.

Robert Flanagan: The Rev. Robert D. Flanagan has served as an Episcopal priest since 2003. He holds a doctor of ministry in Christian spirituality from Virginia Theological Seminary and is chaplain at General Theological Seminary in New York City. He has served on the Boston and Connecticut boards of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and consulted with the AFSP national organization to identify programs supporting clergy in preventing suicide. The author of Courage to Thrive, The Letters of an Unexpected Mystic, and Growing a Sustainable Soul, Bob is a former collegiate rower and high school rowing coach. He and his wife, Lanie, live in Old Town, Alexandria and Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Ann Settle: Anne Settle, a native of northern Virginia suburbs, wrote her first poem on the school bus at age 9. It was a lofty attempt at capturing the stickiness of a sad mood in the imagery of a spider web. That poem was terrible, but fortunately, she hasn’t stopped practicing. She studied creative writing in college and harbored a private envy of Jack London, who, due to being orphaned, was well-versed in trades and a successful author at age 21. She went on her own beatnik walkabout, and over ten years later is now a jack-of-all-trades herself, and has shared at open mics in four time zones. Thus, the youthful naïveté has been shored up; eastern rambling tethered by western economy of phrasing; the rest brightened by Hawaiian echoes and grounded in Sacramento Valley sensibility. She has avoided an official audience until now.

John Smith: J.D. Smith has published seven collections of poetry, most recently The Place That Is Coming to Us from Broadstone Books in September 2025, and he has received Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His first fiction collection, Transit, was published in 2022 by Unsolicited Press. His books in other genres include the 2011 essay collection Dowsing and Science, the 2013 humor collection Notes of a Tourist on Planet Earth, and the 2008 children’s picture book The Best Mariachi in the World. John lives in Washington, DC with his wife Paula Van Lare and their rescue animals. Very recently retired from his job as an editor for an international organization, he is available for readings, book club events, contest judging, and other activities.

Prosser Stirling: Prosser Stirling is a 2024, ’25 National Federation of State Poetry Societies multiple award-winning poet, whose newest work, Somewhere, in front of my name, has been published by Saint Julian Press, Houston.  In his spare time, he discusses African Art with visitors to the Smithsonian, studies Ancient Greek, and blubbers through a long-term project of writing a poem on each chapter of Moby Dick.  Other alibis include being a carny in Western Canada, apple picker in the Pyrenees, au pair in France, and marathon runner. He is a member of the Poetry Society of Texas.  A native of Galveston, Prosser currently lives in Washington, DC, with a missed cat.

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About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com

Find more Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.

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About Elaine’s:  A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selections is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are based on exquisite food found in Alexandria, Egypt — a combination of Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo.

“I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins.

The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.