‘Sunday Brunch at The Hawley Garage’ series opens with two poets and two cartoonists

Barbara de Vries and The Hawley Garage announce the inaugural “Sunday Brunch at The Hawley Garage” event slated for Sunday, October 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. This gathering will feature poetry readings by poets Sharon Mesmer and Erica Miriam Fabri, alongside an exhibition that showcases more than 50 famous cartoons by New Yorker cartoonists David Borchart and Bob Eckstein. Mesmer, Borchart and Eckstein all reside in the Shohola/Hawley area, and Fabri grew up on Lake Wallenpaupack.

Barbara de Vries, publisher, designer, creative entrepreneur and a longtime resident of Milford, recently restored the former body shop in Hawley into a studio space for design, art, photography, pop-ups and community events, with the intention to foster creativity and engagement in the Upper Delaware region.

Sharon Mesmer’s poetry collection,” Greetings from My Girlie Leisure Place,” was named “Best of 2015” by Entropy Magazine, and Ma Vie a Yonago, her collection of short fiction in French translation, was published by Hachette. Mesmer’s work has appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, and Paris Review. She teaches at NYU and the New School, and divides her time between Shohola and Brooklyn, NY.

Erica Miriam Fabri’s first book, “Dialect of a Skirt” (Hanging Loose Press, 2010), was a finalist for the 2011 Paterson Poetry Prize and her second book, “Morphology,” (2025) was the winner of the Write Bloody Publishing Jack McCarthy book award. Fabri, a former student of Mesmer, teaches at Pace University and grew up on Lake Wallenpaupack. She lives in New York.

Bob Eckstein is a New Yorker cartoonist and New York Times bestselling author. His work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Playboy, GQ, and the Wall Street Journal and he hosts The Cartoon Pad podcast. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts, New York University, Pratt Institute, and Yonsei University in South Korea. His latest book, “Footnotes from the Most Fascinating Museums,” is a bestseller. He splits his time between Lake Ariel and Manhattan.

David Borchart’s cartoons are featured in the New Yorker, Esquire, and Time Magazine. He also published “A Prisoner of Ghoul Island,” a graphic novel. David holds fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts and the MacDowell Colony. He is married to Sharon Mesmer and they often collaborate on cartoon/poetry events.

Barbara de Vries is a designer, writer, publisher and creative entrepreneur. Her recent book, “Living Upriver, Artful Homes, Idyllic Lives” (Rizzoli USA, 2023), inspired her to renovate the Hawley Garage into a studio for art, design, and photography as well as a pop-up gallery. She lives in Milford.

After the performance, guests will be invited to peruse the cartoon gallery and enjoy brunchy snacks, refreshments and an inspired afternoon in the new studio.

The Hawley Garage is a historic building that dates back to 1919. According to de Vries, it’s been through many incarnations that include automobile dealership, body shop, glass atelier, antique store, garage, and more.

Following this inaugural event, there will be future cultural experiences, including “Borne Aloft” a fashion exhibition by designer Leila Gordon November 24 through 30, and a pop-up retail event, “Christmas at The Hawley Garage,” on December 14 and 15, selling the work of local artisans and designers.

The October “Two Poets and Two Cartoonists” event is free to the public, but attendees are encouraged to register through Eventbrite at “Two Poets and Two Cartoonists at The Hawley Garage,” for planning purposes.

For further information, contact Barbara de Vries at thehawleygarage@gmail.com.