2001 was a milestone year for Deborah Filanowski. She turned 50 (and is now 51); both her children are now in college, one at The College of William and Mary, the other at Ohio State University and the big event was the publishing of a poetry chapbook "...and guppies eat their young" for winning the Plan B Press poetry contestin the fall of 2001. She was also privileged to meet and talk with Billy Collins, the present poet laureate, twice in 2001.
She is active with Stray Dog Poets in Schuylkill County where she resides and with BerksBards and has participated in readings throughout Northcentral PA. She was instrumental in the planning of the Bill Mosilino Memorial Poetry Reading as part of Bardfest 2002 and has read in various locations from Harrisburg to Allentown since 1995.