Hyde Brothers Booksellers Indiana's Best Loved Bookstore
Hyde Brothers Booksellers
Indiana's Best Loved Bookstore

Events

Ongoing Series: Last Thursday
Hyde Brothers, Booksellers invites all fans of the written word to the 2026 season premiere of our literary series, Last Thursday! This free event occurs at 7pm on the final Thursday of each month and is hosted in-store. Each event features at least two local authors who read their original poetry, prose, creative nonfiction, etc. in 15-20 minute installments with a brief intermission between readers.
This month’s event will be on April 30th at 7pm featuring readers Britt Kaufmann, Mary Ann Koontz, and JE Misz. 
 

 

 

Interested in becoming a reader? Visit our Last Thursday page to get started!

Britt Kaufmann is lucky to live in Indiana where she writes in a room of her own. A former high school English teacher turned math tutor, her most recent collection of poetry Midlife Calculus (Press 53) explores her love of puns and interdisciplinary connections. The book, inspired by learning calculus for the first time at age 47 so she could cross that task off her bucket list, won the 2025 McMath Poetry Award, the 2025 NAIWE Poetry Book Award and earned a silver distinction from the Book Awards at IPNE. Her poems have appeared in Scientific American, Pine Mountain Sand and Gravel, Heimat Review, Soft Star, The Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, and J Journal: New Writing on Justice among others. She enjoys gardening, reading science fiction, and volunteering at her local library. You can learn more about her at brittkaufmann.com
Mary Ann Koontz is a native of Fort Wayne, whose journey into writing has led her down varied paths. She has had articles and short stories published in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. Her Darla Kelly mystery/suspense novels include Shards of Trust, The Cry Beyond the Door, and Maze of Deadly Deception. Koontz has also co-written the Maybe, Just Maybe children’s chapter book series with her granddaughter, Hailey Landreth. These include, Maybe, Just Maybe; Something’s Strange at Camp Wonder Woods; and The Flash and Dash Pet Parade. She is excited for the opportunity to share poems from her newly released book, Life Splatters, at Hyde Brothers Booksellers during “National Poetry Month.” Koontz is a member of the Poetry Society of Indiana, as well as the Sisters in Crime national organization, and their Speed City, Indiana chapter.
JE Misz is a spoken word poet and clinical social worker based in northern Indiana and credits the Ft. Wayne poetry community for forming him as a poet. He has published two books of poetry merging themes of justice, faith, mental health, and resilience. From the sales of his most recent book, A World We Might Have Built: Poems for Ceasefire (2025), over $3000 has been donated to relief efforts in Gaza.

Poetz Portal Poetry Phest
No fooling here: it’s National Poetry Month! It’s one of our favorite months here at the bookstore as we celebrate and embrace all forms of poetry! On Sunday April 19 from 1-5pm, we are proud to join our pals from Poetz Portal for the first-ever, all ages, youth-focused Poetz Portal Poetry Phest as we come together as a community at the Allen County Public Library Main location (900 Library Plaza) to celebrate all things poetics! This free, family-friendly event celebrates poetry and encourages attendees to experience poetry as something creative, empowering, and fun. The afternoon is designed to spark imagination, encourage self-expression, and especially to help youth discover new ways to connect with language, storytelling, and their own voices.
There will be interactive booths from local community partners (like us!) and Poetz Portal will facilitate a group poetry circle during this event so everyone please BRING YOUR POETRY! Yes! That means the kids too!
Come share space with us Sunday, April 19th from 1-5pm in the spirit of poetry