Thomas DeFreitas (“de-FRAY-tus”, he/him, etc.) was born in Boston. Educated at the Boston Latin School, Thomas attended the University of Massachusetts (Boston and Amherst) for two years. His poems have appeared in Dappled Things, Ibbetson Street, Autumn Sky Poetry Daily, Pensive, Plainsongs, and elsewhere.
In April 2018, Thomas’s poem “Chasing the Waves” was chosen to be part of the Talking Chair Project, an interactive poetry exhibit at the Robbins Library in Arlington, Massachusetts. In the summer of 2019, “Detox” was chosen as an Award Poem by the editors of Plainsongs. In November 2024, Thomas’s poem “Grief” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by the editor of Autumn Sky Poetry Daily.
Thomas’s latest collection, Elegies & Devotions, was published by Kelsay Books in November. Kelsay also published his first four collections: Walking Between the Raindrops (2025), Swift River Ballad (2023), Longfellow, Tell Me (2022) and Winter in Halifax (2021).
Thomas rejoices to be a member of St James’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since joining the parish in 2020, he has served as reader, hymnographer, presenter of a “living epistle,” cantor in a virtual service, deanery delegate, writer of poems for special liturgical observances, and on one occasion, preacher of the Sunday sermon.
*
Education:
- September 1989 to December 1990: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- January 1989 to May 1989: University of Massachusetts, Boston
- June 1987: Graduated from the Boston Latin School
Full-Length Books:
- Walking Between the Raindrops (Kelsay Books, 2025, 78 pp.)
- Longfellow, Tell Me (Kelsay Books, 2022, 78 pp.)
Small Collections:
- Elegies & Devotions (Kelsay Books, 2025, 46 pp.)
- Swift River Ballad (Kelsay Books, 2023, 46 pp.)
- Winter in Halifax (Kelsay Books, 2021, 48 pp.)
Other:
- Changes & Changes (seventeen poems, No Fixed Address Press, no pagination, 50 copies)
Magazines and Online Journals Where Thomas’s Poems Have Appeared:
- Autumn Sky Poetry Daily
- Bagels with the Bards
- Dappled Things
- Ibbetson Street
- LIGHT
- Muddy River Poetry Review
- Mudfish
- The New Verse News
- Nixes Mate Review
- The Orchards
- PENSIVE
- Plainsongs
- The Poetry Porch
- The Somerville Times (“Lyrical Somerville”)
- Soul-Lit
Past Readings:
- August 16, 2025: Boston Poetry Marathon (first hour), in person, Community Church of Boston, Copley Square
- June 17, 2025: Robbins Library, Arlington, MA, with Pamela Alexander
- April 24, 2025: Featured reader at Poetry & Song Open Mic at Arts Collaborative Medford, Medford, MA
- March 2, 2025: Launch of The Silver Note anthology at Menotomy Grill, Arlington, MA (Thomas was one of more than 30 poets at this event)
- September 28, 2024: Boston Poetry Marathon (Hour Ten, 7:00 pm), virtual, 3rd reader of the hour
- September 19, 2024: Poetry Porch Reading at First Church of Cambridge, Cambridge, MA
- August 20, 2024: Beehive Poets at Robbins Library, Arlington, MA
- August 14, 2024: Contributor to the Poets for Harris YouTube Channel; video here.
- January 7, 2024, New England Poetry Club Member Celebration, on Zoom
- October 24, 2023: Robbins Library, Arlington, MA, with Anne Elezabeth Pluto
- August 5, 2023: The Boston Poetry Marathon
- June 10, 2023: Park Avenue Congregationalist Church, with the Bee Hive Poets and Cantilena Women’s Chorus, Arlington Heights Spring Fling Festival, Arlington, MA
- November 19, 2022: Italian American Writers’ Association, Boston, co-feature (with Joy Baglio)
- May 2022: Cervena Barva Press reading, online, co-feature (with Cathie Desjardins)
- January 2022: New England Poetry Club, members with new books, online (with Dorothy Derifield and Moira Linehan)
- November 14, 2021: St James’s Episcopal Church, Cambridge, MA, launch of Winter in Halifax
- 2015-2019: A series of 49 readings (once or twice monthly) at the Chestnut Manor Housing Development, Arlington, MA, where I presented my own work and the work of others
*
Contact Thomas at winterinhalifax@gmail.com
Thomas DeFreitas 