Although Valentine’s Day is typically a day to celebrate the love people share, Millikin’s Bronze Man Books is putting on an event with a different purpose. The event takes place on Feb. 13 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the SPEC.

Bronze Man Books’ Broken Hearts event began last February with the showcasing of Jackson Lewis’ tanka chapbook, “Winter Hearts.”

“While there is a long-standing tradition of love poems in tanka, Lewis’ poems were darker, full of angst about love gone wrong. So the [Bronze Man Books] staff decided that it would be appropriate to host a ‘Broken Hearts’ poetry reading on Valentine’s Day,” Brooks said.

This year, the event will showcase readers including Bryson Hoff, Emma R. Wilson, Randy Brooks, Carmella Braniger and Katie Henson. Hoff will be showcasing his newchapbook “Pantheon,” and Wilson’s chapbook “Map to the Multiverse.” At the end of the evening, there is an open mic for anybody willing to share their poetry with the crowd.

“This is a fun event featuring the spoken word,” Brooks said. “We’ve all had broken hearts some time in our lives, and this is a chance to share that human universal with each other. Beneath every broken heart and poem lies a desire for true love. Come for the sake of love, which sometimes hurts.”

If you have any poetry or heartbreak you want to share, or if you just want some free refreshments, come out to Broken Hearts for support and entertainment.