Whether you’re an avid poetry consumer or just a Market Square visitor, Union Ave Books offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy powerful local poetry.

On the first Friday of every month, First Fridays Poetry Night features readings by poets of all ages with diverse themes and styles, along with a selection of snacks and refreshments.

On Friday, April 3, four distinguished poets took part in the evening of immersive literature.

The readings opened with Garrett Ashley, an author and creative writing professor at Tuskegee University in Alabama. His work has appeared in collections such as Asimov’s Science Fiction, Sonora Review and Reed Magazine. He is also the author of works like “A Field Guide to North American Trees” and most recently, “Habitats.”

Ashley’s poems focused on nature and its undeniable parallels with human life, exploring how ecology, lived experience and history blend over time and across both natural and built environments.

The second reader, Nzzy Odessa, followed with a collection centered on confronting Black femicide in the American South, highlighting regional inequalities alongside complex experiences of restoration and revenge.

“She entices present-day worldbuilders to reimagine their agency by flirting with the past to form crushes on the future that make pursuing tomorrow worthwhile,” according to Union Ave Books’ website.

Odessa’s work often hones in on strong emotions such as love and hate, leaning into their intensity and their roles in passion, reparation and healing.

“I write about hate a lot. Hate as a vehicle for love. If I love you and want the best for you, I absolutely despise your oppressors,” Odessa said.

Odessa encouraged listeners to join her in this process and reflect deeply on what they resist.

“I want audience members, readers, comrades, friends and family to think deeply about the things that they should despise more, whether they despise them eloquently, with vitriol, or whether they despise them through the ways in which they decide to heal themselves in their communities,” she said. “I want us to think of hate as a source of power, and not to our detriment.”

Odessa left her performance with a deep appreciation for the Knoxville community, whose invitational friendliness eased her nerves.

“What I love most is that, despite my nervousness and my apprehension, the audience was so kind, so loving,” Odessa said.

The crowd’s support gave her a sense of belonging despite being away from home.

“I’m not a Knoxville native; I am a West Georgia girl, so coming down here was a culture shock, and I did not know if I’d be able to fit in or find my people. But that night, I felt very welcomed,” she said. “It was very warm. And I’m very grateful to have had my first reading in a long time in such a kind environment.”

Following a short intermission, writer and poet Cora Schipa, who is currently pursuing her MFA in poetry at the University of Tennessee, began her reading. Much of her work centered on the body and girlhood, drawing from both personal and sociological perspectives, and has been published or is forthcoming in “Peatsmoke,” “Cola Literary Review,” “Rust & Moth” and “The Shore,” among others.

“I often document my personal experiences in my poems, and I want them to function like microcosms of larger social structures and dynamics, especially relating to gender,” Schipa said.

Her work explores the discovery and evolution of the physical self and both the personal and social implications that follow.

“My poetry is rooted in the body, especially those first times it was noticed, touched and experienced. Girlhood is so much about realizing and coming to terms with a body that is the engine, womb, a tool, something seen, something talked about, but also so much a part of how we move through the world. A lot of my poems discuss navigating that as we grow older.”

Schipa highlighted the importance of spaces like First Fridays Poetry Night in building connections within the literary community and appreciated the combined passion that comes from being surrounded by other writers.

“Poetry and any writing can feel like such a solitary practice, but when we are in a physical community with each other, that can be really inspiring and really profound,” Schipa said. “There are other people who are doing this really hard thing. That is not lucrative, really difficult, and vulnerable. But they’re out here sharing their work.”

She also appreciates the opportunity these events offer to anyone interested in her work to reflect on their own sensory experiences and how they interact with others.

“I want readers to step away from my work feeling like they might be able to notice things at a higher frequency and be observant in a way that incites gratitude, self-reflection and a stronger sense of how the self moves through the world in relation to other people,” Schipa said.

Closing out the readings was award-winning author Natalie J. Graham, known for her collection of poems, “Begin With a Failed Body.” She is also the interim department head and a professor of Africana studies at the University of Tennessee. Her current project, “Season of Woe,” is a novel shaped by the people and enduring histories of the South.

As the evening came to an end, the event proved that poetry is not confined to literary experts or the classroom. For Schipa, spaces like First Friday’s Poetry Night served as a reminder that literature exists all around, in everyday places, for those who want to listen.

“I think people feel like there’s a barrier to entry as far as the literary community; the literary sphere, but it’s right there in your local bookstore,” Schipa said. “And I think that’s special.”

Future guests can RSVP at UnionAveBooks.com.