Prose, poetry and music will fill the air at Blossom Heath Park June 29 for the annual St. Clair Shores Lit Walk.

Event organizer M.L. Liebler says you don’t have to be a literary aficionado to enjoy the readings of local writers.

“There is something for everyone to enjoy and all of the performances are very accessible; you don’t need to bring a thesaurus,” said Liebler.

The majority of writers and musicians have local ties, so it is no surprise their art is influenced by Detroit.

“I was born in Detroit and grew up in Detroit and it was a rough place to live when I was a kid,” said author Dorene O’Brien, who now lives in Farmington Hills. “But the renaissance I’ve seen the city go through is really heartening.

“My first collection —’Voices of the Lost and Found’ — I could not have written that if I did not live in Detroit.”

O’Brien describes that first book of short stories as dark and gritty. She is currently working on a new collection of stories — from which she plans to read at the Lit Walk — that is more reflective of Detroit in 2024.

She has just started working on “Neighbors and Other Animals,” a collection of stories about people who live on a cul-de-sac and how their lives interconnect.

“The idea came from COVID when we were locked down and stuck in our neighborhoods,” said O’Brien. “You can see who are the people who can handle it and who are the people who break.”

The first story in the book features Ruby, a Girl Scout who is going door to door selling cookies. Through Ruby, the reader is introduced to the characters on which subsequent stories in the book will focus.

“I didn’t want to write 11 stories about the same character, but the challenge has always been weaving stories together,” said O’Brien. “This gives me the chance to write about different characters that all have a connection through being in the same neighborhood.”

Like O’Brien, Macomb Township author John Jeffire was born and raised on Detroit’s east side and finds the heartbeat of his native city has a very strong influence on his writing.

“The motto of the city is ‘rise from the ashes’ because it burned in 1805 and again in 1967 and because as people, we Detroiters are very resilient,” said Jeffire. “To see so much positive going on and the train station opening again has been so fulfilling for me.

“Detroiters are gritty and hard headed people, but we will get it on track and some of that optimism has worked its way into some of the recent poetry.”

Jeffire expects to share some new poetry and prose at the Lit Walk, some of which has been inspired by world events, particularly the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“Some of my new poetry is reflecting on me as an Armenian and the history of the genocide of Armenian people and my personal history,” said Jeffire.

In addition to being an author and teacher at Chippewa Valley High School, Jeffire is a longtime wrestling coach who plans to bring some visiting wrestlers from Sweden to the St. Clair Shores Lit Walk.

“I wanted to show them something a little different about our culture,” said Jeffire.

The Lit Walk runs from 12-3 p.m. June 29 and is broken into three one-hour segments.

New York jazz poet Barry Wallenstein kicks things off with guitarist Ron English followed by urban folk poet Wardell Montgomery Jr. and Farmington Hills poet Joy Gaines-Friedler. The second hour will feature Jeffire and O’Brien and Detroit poet Robert Laidler. The final segment includes novelist Michael Zadorian, musician Leo Resto, and Liebler and The Magic Poetry Band.

St. Clair Shores writers Writer L. Bush, K. Michelle Moran, Denise Sedman, M. Jane Roberts, Carol Ghesquiere, Dawn Levitt, and Debroah Benedic will also be featured.

Blossom Heath Park is located on Jefferson Avenue between Nine and 10 Mile roads.