Two poets will be the featured for Lit Youngstown’s First Wednesday Reader Series.

Cherise Benton is a multi-genre writer from Youngstown. Her short stories and poems are inspired by planetarium shows, Lake Erie, Greek mythology and plants, all of which are being shoved into the MFA thesis she’s working on at Wilkes University.

Paula J. Lambert of Columbus has published several collections of poetry, including “As If This Did Not Happen Every Day” in 2024. Her work has been supported by the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Virginia Center for Creative Arts.

The reading starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Westside Bowl 2617 Mahoning Ave., Youngstown, in its Trophy Room, which only is accessible by stairs.

The reading will be followed by an open mic co-hosted by Sarah Lowry with ASL interpretation by Meagan Albani. Admission is free. For more information, go to lityoungstown.org.