Patricia Smith News

Susan R. Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, and Dr. Blaise Allen, Director of Community Outreach, today invited local poets and poetry fans to two special events in September

Susan R. Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival (PBPF), today announced that the 16th annual festival is returning to Old School Square for six days of literary workshops and public events, including readings, talks, interviews, panel discussions and more, January 20-25, 2020.

Susan Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, today congratulated Joy Harjo, who will be the Special Guest Poet at the 16th annual festival, for being named the 23rd U.S. Poet Laureate yesterday. A poet, writer and musician from Oklahoma, Harjo-a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation-often draws on Native American stories, languages and myths.

 National Endowment for the Arts Acting ChairmanMary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment's second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019.

Susan Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, today announced that Joy Harjo will be the Special Guest Poet at the 16th annual festival that will be held January 20-25, 2020 at Old School Square in Delray Beach. An award-winning Native American poet and musician from Oklahoma, Harjo was recently named a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poet.

Sit under Bryant Park's London Plane trees and enjoy evening poetry readings throughout the summer! Started in 2005, the Bryant Park Poetry series has created a space dedicated to poetry. Bryant Park Reading Room literary programs have been a conduit for creative writing expression, and that has enabled a dialogue based on diverse perspectives. The Poetry series has the good fortune to be a platform to hear a variety of poetry voices that reflect the community in which we live.

Susan R. Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, has announced the winners of the 2019 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, inspired by the TECH EFFECTexhibition which was on display earlier this year at the Cornell Museum at Old School Square in Delray Beach.

Martin Farawell, Director of the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, has announced highlights of the upcoming 17th biennial four-day event, October 18-21, featuring bestselling authors, literary legends, Pulitzer Prize winners, slam champions, and Academy of American Poets Chancellors. Former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Pulitzer Prize-winners Sharon Olds and Gregory Pardlo, as well as much-published and award-winning poets Sandra Cisneros, Sapphire, Eileen Myles, Ntozake Shange, Kwame Dawes, Alberto Rios, David St. John, Henri Cole, Gregory Orr, Mary Ruefle and David Young will be giving Featured Readings during the Festival and are among the dozens of acclaimed poets who will participate in the four-day event, which takes place at the

The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 American Poets Prizes, which are among the most valuable poetry prizes in the United States. This year the organization has awarded over $200,000 to poets at various stages of their careers.

From March 27-April 1, Mabou Mines is proud to present the work of its 2018 SUITE/Space artists in a festival-like setting-two performances each night for 6 nights in a row-in the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Mabou Mines Theater. The inaugural SUITE/Space artists, Tariq Al-Sabir, Tamar-kali, Davalois Fearon and Sanaz Ghajar, work in a variety of disciplines and share Mabou Mines' commitment to breaking new ground in form and content. Founded in the summer of 1970 as an artist-driven collective, Mabou Mines has a long history of fostering the next generation of artists through mentorships and residencies. SUITE/Space is a new performance initiative for artists that reflect New York City's rich cultural landscape and provides artistic advisement, development support, rehearsal space, and opportunities for public performance. 

The winners of the 49th NAACP Image Awards in the non-televised categories were announced during a gala dinner celebration that took Sunday, January 14, 2018, at the Pasadena Conference Center the event was hosted by The Real's Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai and Tamera Mowry-Housley.

In September, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Urban League announced EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts, a groundbreaking, multi-year partnership that immerses African American youth in the creation of an original opera based on their own life experiences. Collaboratively planned and administered by Lyric Unlimited, Lyric's community engagement and education arm, and the Chicago Urban League's Youth Development Center, EmpowerYouth! is a multidisciplinary afterschool program that will culminate in the presentation of a fully staged, youth-centric opera on May 31 at the Lyric Opera House.

Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Chicago Urban League have announced EmpowerYouth! Igniting Creativity through the Arts, a groundbreaking, multiyear partnership.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is pleased to present the second annual American Dance Platform, a showcase of eight companies over one week, made possible by a grant from The Harkness Foundation for Dance and dedicated to the memory of Theodore S. Bartwink, from January 3-8.

A $450,000 grant in support of arts education will significantly increase the number of Newark students invited to enjoy world-class performances at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years and will help Newark Public Schools (NPS) provide high quality professional development for hundreds of art teachers.

Recognized the world over not only by their bold-face names, but especially by their superb talents, the artists headlining New Jersey Performing Arts Center's 2016-17 season validate the Arts Center as the state's most diverse and artistically excellent presenter.

Today's (February 5) State of the ARTS, heard LIVE each week on WPKN-FM(89.5) in Bridgeport, Connecticut, will include special guests Angela Smith, Patricia Kalember and Erin McCracken.