Poetry in the Park: Margot Armbruster, John Contreras, Freesia McKee, and Ed Werstein *IN PERSON*

Bring your blankets and chairs, snacks and drinks, and friends, and join us at the Solomon Juneau statue for this beloved summer reading series, now entering its eleventh year. Poetry in the Park takes place in Juneau Park on the second Tuesday of the summer months (with rain dates on the second Wednesday of the month). This season of outdoor readings are made possible with support from Juneau Park Friends.

In person at Juneau Park, 900 N. Prospect Ave.

(RAIN DATE: WED. JUNE 11)

Margot Armbruster studied at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio, in the Adroit Journal’s summer mentorship program, in the UK as a Foyle Young Poet, and at Duke University as an undergraduate. She is a writer and editor from Wisconsin who lives in Milwaukee, and online at https://margot-armbruster.com/.  

John Contreras is a Mexican American poet whose work is deeply rooted in his experiences of migration, nature, and creation. Originally from Chicago, Contreras found a profound sense of belonging in the poetry community of Milwaukee when he moved to the city in 2016. Milwaukee, vibrant with creativity, has shaped his voice and allowed him to find connection with others who share a passion for expression. His poetry explores a range of themes, often intertwining the natural world, the process of creation, and the playful absurdity of life—especially through the lens of his love for cats. His writing is driven by an openness to the flow of thought and the rhythm of language, allowing the mind to wander, to pause, and to reflect. Through this stream of consciousness, he seeks to capture fleeting moments and transform them into something lasting.

Freesia McKee (she/her) is a poet, hybridist, and memoirist who writes about gender, genre, history, and place. She has published three poetry chapbooks, How Distant the City (2018), Hummingbird Vows (2023), and City of Honesty (2025). Freesia teaches in the English Department at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

In 2009, when he was 60 years old, Ed Werstein’s muse awoke and dragged herself out of bed. Since then his poems have appeared in dozens of journals and zines, as well as several anthologies, and he has four books of poetry in print, and available at Woodland Pattern. From 2013 until 2024 Ed served on the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Board as the East Region VP, and during that time he served two terms as the WFOP representative to the Wisconsin Poet Laureate Commission. In 2018 Ed won the Council for Wisconsin Writers’ Lorine Niedecker award, judged by Nickole Brown. He is a proud member of the Hartford Avenue Poets and is deeply grateful for their assistance in workshopping his poetry.