House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

LINZI GARCIA | April 6th 

Opened for Humbletown 

Linzi Garcia lives in Emporia, where she serves as the publicist and poetry editor for Meadowlark Press and as a board member for House of Morrow. While earning her MA in creative writing from Emporia State University, she worked as the graduate assistant to Poet Laureate Emeritus of Kansas Kevin Rabas and as an editorial assistant with Bluestem Press and Flint Hills Review. During that time, she also worked as a composition professor at the university and a reporter for The Emporia Gazette. Linzi has facilitated over 50 community writing workshops and poetry readings. She is the author of Thank You (Spartan Press, 2018) and Cravings (Meadowlark Press, 2025) and the co-author of Live a Great Story (Analog Submission Press, 2019) and While Away: Travel Poems (Spartan Press, 2022). Linzi is a recipient of a 2023 NextGen Under 30 Kansas Award. 

House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

DEON MORROW | May 4th

And Walnut Elementary School Fifth Graders

Opened for Sam and the Firewatchers 

After graduating from Oklahoma State, Deon immersed himself in art, spending four months in Germany exploring fine and public art. Now a painter and advocate for public art, he has murals in Emporia and artwork in Emporia, Kansas City, Lisbon, and Berlin.

Focused on creating a meaningful art career, Deon works with others dedicated to making a positive impact. His proudest achievement is his work at Las Casitas Park, which blends his passion for art with community impact.

House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

KEVIN RABAS | June 1st  

Opened for the Wayne Gottstine Band 

Past Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019) Kevin Rabas teaches at Emporia State University, where he leads the poetry and playwriting tracks and directs the Donald Reichardt Center for Publishing & the Literary Arts. 

He has sixteen books, including Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano, a Kansas Notable Book and Nelson Poetry Book Award winner.

House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

NYK ROBERTSON | July 6th

Opened for Cowgirl's Train Set 

Nyk is a poet, activist, and social justice warrior. Their poetry is centered in the tradition of spoken word. 

They have recently finished a chapter titled “Liminality and Affect: Knowing and Belonging Among Unscripted Bodies in Gendering Places Placing Gender” from Bristol University Press in May 2024. Their work focuses on belonging, humanity, and a pedagogy of hope.

House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

KERRY MOYER | August 3rd 

Opened for Beth Watts Nelson & Brandon Day

Kerry Moyer is the author of three previous full-length poetry collections, Rust & Weeds, Dirt Road, and Turnpike Prairie, published by Kellogg Press. His forthcoming book, Salt, is published by local Meadowlark Press and will be released later this month at his book launch event at Middle Ground.

Kerry works as a mental health professional to guide struggling youth. Kerry is a gravel cycling enthusiast who has completed 1,000 miles of 100-mile cycling race events. He holds a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a first-degree black belt in Hapkido and has studied various other martial arts. He enjoys leatherwork, woodwork, tinkering, and playing guitar. He lives with his family in Emporia, Kansas.

House of Morrow Artist Spotlight: 

ESU Theatre Arts | October 5th

Cast of "The Rocky Horror Show" by Richard O'Brien

Opened for Tallgrass Express String Band

This year’s Homecoming musical is a deliberately kitschy rock ’n’ roll sci-fi gothic musical that's more fun than ever!

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.”