WATERVILLE — To kick off National Poetry Month, Waterville will host a celebration of poetry with Maine Poet Laureate Wesley McNair and Mid-Maine community poets. The third annual Maine Poetry Express Waterville is set for 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at the Hathaway Creative Center, 10 Water St., according to a news release from Waterville Public Library.

Selected by a blind review of independent judges, the following Mid-Maine youth, college and adult poets have been chosen to read their original poems at this special poetry event: Mila Barnes-Bukher (third grade), Alexa DeWitt (fourth grade), Jonathan Eccher-Mullally (fourth grade), Ailie Rancourt-Smith (fourth grade), Haylee Sodoma (fifth grade), Breanna Kanagy (eighth grade), Sarah Libby (senior), Adelia Scheck (senior), Sabrina Bell (sophomore), John Tortorello (college), Elise Ozarowski (college), Hannah Macquarrie (college), Doug Woodsun (adult), Matt Bernier (adult), and Anne Britting Oleson (adult).

McNair will be the honored guest at the community poetry celebration. This event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be provided.

The purpose of the event is to shine a light of awareness on poetry in the Mid-Maine region, to come together as a diverse community to celebrate poetic thoughts, and to bring recognition to our area poets of all ages. Maine Poetry Express is an initiative of McNair and is supported by the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.

Judges were Sherry Brown, Tom Creeley, Brooke Fairbanks, Kelly Mechling, Serena Sanborn Phipps, Sarah Taylor and Sara Verstynen, according to the release.

For more information, contact mainepoetryexpresswaterville@gmail.com, 680-2611 or facebook.com/mainepoetryexpresswaterville.