A poet, a raconteur and a performances artist walk into the library… while it sounds like the opening line for a joke, this will actually happen Monday, September 8, at 7 pm.

Part of the 2014 Newtown Arts Festival, the event is “The 3 Wordsmiths,” and it will take place at C.H. Booth Library.

Award winning poet and author Charles Rafferty, head writer at the Friars Club; author/essayist Barry Dougherty; and actor, playwright and performance artist Patrick Kearney will all be there to read from their personal works.

“The evening will be buoyant, cheerful, entertaining and maybe even provocative,” Mr Kearney said. “If there are questions, there will be answers,” he added. The event is free and the evening will conclude with a wine and cheese reception.

A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Mr Rafferty has authored four collections of poetry. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications including The New Yorker. He teaches at Albertus Magnus College and Western Connecticut State University in the MFA program.

Barry Dougherty, head writer of the Friars Club roasts and an acclaimed author and essayist, is the author of five books about the Friars Club roasts and the humor emanating from them.

An actor, a playwright and a performance artist, Mr Kearney will also be appearing in the in September at Newtown Meeting House.Third Eye Production/Stray Kats production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt

Registration is requested, and can be done at NewtownArtsFestival.com/events.