On Saturday, September 12, 2026 from 2:45–4:00 pm, the Local Buzz Reading Series returns for its Season 3 kick-off at the Yarmouth History Center, 118 East Elm Street, Yarmouth. The monthly Local Buzz events are co-hosted by poets Linda Aldrich and Marcia F. Brown and feature area writers of poetry and prose reading from their work. The September 12 reading welcomes Maine State Poet Laureate Dawn Potter and novelist Travis Kennedy.
Recently appointed by the Maine Arts Commission, Dawn Potter serves as the Poet Laureate for the State of Maine. She is the author or editor of ten books of prose and poetry, and has won a Maine Literary Award for nonfiction. Dawn has received grants and fellowships from the Elizabeth George Foundation, the Writer’s Center, and the Maine Arts Commission. Her poems and essays have appeared in the Beloit Poetry Journal, the Sewanee Review, the Threepenny Review, and many other journals. She leads poetry programs at Monson Arts in Monson, Maine and lives in Portland.
Travis Kennedy has a long career in public service and policymaking, having worked for the Maine State Legislature, the United States Senate, and Cumberland County Government. He now writes full-time. Travis’s debut novel, The Whyte Python World Tour, was the winner of the American Libraries Association’s 2026 Alex Award and was named one of People Magazine’s 100 Reasons to Love America. A series adaptation of the book is currently in development. His work has been featured in the Best New England Crime Stories and Best American Mystery Stories anthologies, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. He is the grand prize winner of Screencraft’s 2021 Cinematic Book Contest for “Sharks in the Valley,” soon to be published as Welcome to Redemption. Travis lives in Scarborough, Maine with his wife, Liv, and their two children, Ella and Cole.
The Local Buzz Reading Series is free and open to all. Parking is available on site and across East Elm Street at Royal River Park. A note about parking: Please note that the Town has closed Royal River Park and its parking lot this summer for construction and improvements. Parking is available in the History Center’s lot. On-street spots are available on the upper part of East Elm Street, towards Main Street. There are also spaces available just before the East Elm Street bridge.
