Phosphorescence April 2026 featured poets:
Matthew Johnson and Oak Morse
VIRTUAL PROGRAM
This virtual program is free to attend. Registration is required.
To Emily Dickinson, phosphorescence was a divine spark and the illuminating light behind learning — it was volatile, but transformative in nature. Produced by the Emily Dickinson Museum, the Phosphorescence Contemporary Poetry Series celebrates contemporary creativity that echoes Dickinson’s own revolutionary poetic voice. The Series features established and emerging poets whose work and backgrounds represent the diversity of the flourishing contemporary poetry scene. Join us on a Thursday evening each month to hear from poets around the world as they read their work and discuss what poetry and Dickinson mean to them.
About this month’s poets:
Matthew Johnson is the author of the poetry collections, Jackie Robinson’s Real Gone: Baseball Poems of New York (2026), Far from New York State (2023), and Shadow Folk and Soul Songs (2019), and the chapbook, Too Short to Box with God (2024). He is the recipient of multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations. He has received support from the Hudson Valley Writers Center and from Sundress Publications. He is a finalist for the 2023 Diverse Book Award (Grand View University) and the 2025 E.E. Cummings Poetry Prize (New England Poetry Club). His poetry has appeared in Apple Valley Review, The London Magazine, New York Quarterly Magazine, Northern New England Review, and elsewhere. He is the managing editor of The Portrait of New England and the poetry editor of The Twin Bill. matthewjohnsonpoetry.com
Oak Morse lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and holds an MFA from Warren Wilson College and an MLIS from the University of Southern Mississippi. He is the recipient of the 2025 Larry Levis Post-Graduate Award and the 2024 A Public Space Writing Fellowship. Oak has received support from PEN America and fellowships from Brooklyn Poets, Twelve Literary Arts, Cave Canem’s Starshine, and Clay, as well as a Stars in the Classroom honor from the Houston Texans. His work appears in POETRY, Callaloo, Electric Literature, Black Warrior Review, Obsidian, Painted Bride Quarterly, and Hobart, with work forthcoming in Rattle, among others. oakmorse.com
Support Phosphorescence and Honor Someone Special:
Admission to all Phosphorescence events is free thanks to the support of online donations, which provide poetry programs and immersive educational experiences that inspire and connect learners of all ages from all over the world. All gifts are tax deductible.