East Boston, MA — The Friends of the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway is delighted to host a day Park Poetree on Sunday, August 3rd from 4–7PM, the community is invited to gather among the trees for the very first edition of Park Poetree, an open mic experience blooming right in the heart of Bremen Street Park’s Amphitheatre. Curated by award-winning storyteller, cultural curator, and East Boston native Essmaa Litim, this free event is a celebration of poetry, community, and nature in full harmony.
In partnership with The Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, Park Poetree will feature an open mic, live DJ set, and a featured performance by the radiant and powerful poet Christina @purelypoetic. This will be an evening full of joy, artistry, and connection—where people from all walks of life are welcome to share their voices or simply sit back and soak in the magic of live performance under the open sky.
We are beyond excited to share this beautiful gathering with the East Boston community and beyond. Park Poetree is designed to be a moment of togetherness—where poetry breathes outside the bounds of traditional venues and finds a home in the greenery of one of the neighborhood’s most cherished parks. Whether you’re stepping up to the mic or coming to be moved, this event is an invitation to experience creativity in its most natural form.
Essmaa Litim is no stranger to transforming art into a force for collective healing and liberation. As the founder of Femme Flo—a poetic collective curated to cultivate a community of femme poets in celebration of legacy, past, present, and future—she has become a vital voice in Boston’s cultural renaissance. Through her words, she builds worlds where expression becomes empowerment and storytelling becomes survival. Her debut memoir, Speechless, and her acclaimed poem “The Laundromat”—a poignant reflection on gentrification in East Boston—have resonated both locally and nationally, amplifying untold narratives with urgency and grace.
With every poem, performance, and public gathering, Litim continues to carve out spaces where truth is honored, healing is possible, and everyone belongs. Now, she brings that same unwavering heart, creative fire, and communal spirit to Park Poetree.
This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required at essmaalitim.com to ensure seating. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, picnic snacks, and open hearts. Whether you’re a poet, a listener, or simply someone looking to experience the magic of East Boston in full bloom, this is your invitation.
Let the park be your page at Park Poetree.”
