​Voices from the Heart, A literary Soirée 

​Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 6–8pm | Vault Virginia

​“Reading a poem aloud entrains the heartbeats of strangers and I want to be part of this communion.” — Laura Jan Shore

​Join us for an evening of poetry, music, and connection, featuring readings from award-winning poet Laura Jan Shore, joined by Erin James, Creative Non-fiction, Stephanie Malia Morris, Fiction, and Kristie Smeltzer, Fiction with musical guest Stephen Hund of Manhattan Music Machine and light food and drinks.

​Born in the UK, raised in the US, and based in Australia since 1996, Laura describes herself as a “self-ordained poetry evangelist,” bringing people together through the spoken word wherever she travels. She founded the Dangerously Poetic reading series in Australia’s Byron Shire, nurturing it into a community press.

​Her collections include Breathworks and Water over Stone, winner of the IP Picks Best Poetry award in 2011. Her poems have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies around the world, and her readings have reached audiences at writers’ festivals, intimate poetry gatherings, and on Australian national radio.

​Come for the words. Stay for the music, conversation, and the unexpected connections that happen when we slow down and listen together.

​Meet you there.