Join us at Laney & Lu for another great HOOT with Mckendy Fils-Aimé and Jezmina Von Thiele! Please note the new start time, 6:30pm! Our two features will kick the evening off before we reset for the open mic portion of the evening, 7:30-8:30pm.
Mckendy Fils-Aime:
Mckendy Fils-Aimé is a New England-based Haitian American poet, organizer, and teaching artist. He is the author of sipèstisyon (YesYes Books, 2026) and has received fellowships from Callaloo, Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo, and Periplus. Over the span of nearly two decades, Mckendy has represented New England in several regional and national poetry slams, performing on numerous semifinal and final stages. Mckendy’s work has been featured or is forthcoming in Best New Poets, Adroit, Muzzle, American Literary Review, the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere.
Jezmina Von Thiele:
Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) is the author of Monster More Alive (Lambhouse, 2026) and the host and curator of the Poetry After Hours reading series. Jezmina is also the co-author of Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling (Weiser Books, 2024) and the forthcoming Secrets of Romani Tarot (Weiser Books, 2027), and co-host of the Romanistan podcast. Their poetry, fiction, and nonfiction appear in a number of publications, including Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review Online, The Poetry Foundation, and Narrative Magazine.
Pre-order your LANEY & LU snacks for the Hoot! 
