Poet Alert!
Foxcroft's annual poetry festival is a tradition that reaches back decades -- at still manages to provide a new adventure each year. Famous and engaging visitors, readings and performances by student and faculty, the famed "Slam" and open mike kick-off have all, at one time or another, provided memorable moments and stunning surprises. The 2010 Paul K. Bergan Poetry Festival, scheduled for next weekend, should be no different!
Poet, playwright and publisher Kwame Alexander highlights the weekend when he reads from his work on Saturday morning but some exciting (and excited!) new talent will debut at Friday's freewheeling Poetry Slam and a slew of students, selected by their peers, will read before a panel of faculty judges tonight in hopes of earning a place in the adjudicated poetry reading competition scheduled for Saturday afternoon. For for more information about the visiting poet and a complete schedule of events. please READ MORE.
Alexander, the author of 13 books and founding director of Book-in-a-Day, Inc., will read from his work Saturday, Jan. 15 at 10 am in Currier Library. His poetry collections include Crush and Dancing Naked on the Floor, and he is currently working with poet Nikki Giovanni on a collection of best pieces by black poets. A popular presenter at schools, colleges and conferences across the United States, Alexander founded Book-in-a-Day, a literacy program that inspires young people to write. He also started the Capital BookFest, a major literary arts festival currently sponsored by The Washington Post.
The Festival kicks off Friday, Jan. 14 at 7pm in FoxHound Auditorium with an "open mic" session, followed by the Poetry Slam, a freewheeling competition among students that combines spoken word art and performance. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top "slammers," as determined by judges selected from the audience.
On Saturday afternoon, Alexander will judge the competitive student readings, which culminate a month-long selection process. Three finalists from each English level who have been nominated by their peers and qualified by faculty judges will read published works. Non-competitive readings -- by students and faculty -- of original poetry, poetry written in a language other than English and favorite published poems will follow.
Named in honor of former English teacher Paul Bergan, the Poetry Festival brings established poets to campus to read, to discuss writing with students, and to critique student writing. Recent Poets-In-Residence have included: 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner Claudia Emerson, Donna E.M. Denizé, Joel Dias Porter (aka DJ Renegade), Grace Cavalieri and Geraldine Connolly, Sami Miranda, and performance poets Jason LeVasseur, E. Ethelbert Miller, Nan Fry, and Hilary Tham.
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