Author Event: Mary Paula Hunter at Books on the Square

Some books don’t ask politely. They tell the truth and wait for you to catch up.

On Friday, February 20 at 5:30 PM, Mary Paula Hunter joins us at Books on the Square for a reading from Can I Have a Hug First?, an award-winning collection that takes intimacy seriously and refuses the lie that tenderness is weakness.

These poems move through desire, grief, memory, and care with a steady, unsentimental gaze. Hunter writes about closeness without nostalgia and vulnerability without apology. This is poetry that understands the cost of connection and still insists on it.

Hunter will read from the book, followed by a conversation and Q&A. Expect language that cuts clean, moments that land hard, and a reading that trusts the audience to meet the work where it stands.

📍 Books on the Square
471 Angell Street, Providence
🗓 Friday, February 20
⏰ 5:30 PM

This event is free and open to the public. Come ready to listen. Come ready to feel. Come ready to be changed, even just a little.