Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents THE 2017 POETIC ADDRESS TO THE NATION

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) is proud to announce The 2017 Poetic Address to the Nation. Inspired by stories collected from across the nation, The 2017 Poetic Address to the Nation will be performed by poets from the Bay Area and beyond and emceed by one of our country's most provocative, original voices, Chinaka Hodge. We will address the Trump administration and our nation in the words of, and inspired by, our people.

"The people of this nation deserve to be heard," says Jonathan Moscone, YBCA Chief of Civic Engagement. "The stories that make up the true state of our nation come from across the country, and will be penned by some of the most electric poets of our time, including Guillermo Gómez Peña, Chinaka Hodge, and Marc Bamuthi Joseph."

Since 2015, the USDAC has hosted the People's State of the Union as an invitation to supplement the President's stories by coming together in our own homes, schools, houses of worship, and community organizations to share our own take on the state of our Union. More than 120 communities have taken part for each of the last three years. The 2017 Poetic Address to the Nation is inspired by these stories of real people with artists composing sonnets, songs, and a range of other poetic responses which will be performed live at YBCA and simultaneously livestreamed on Freespeech.org and YBCA's Facebook page.

"At YBCA we are pioneering a new model for art centers as citizen institutions - as activated and inclusive places for people to come together to directly address the pressing questions we face in our communities and in our country," says Deborah Cullinan, CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. "With the Poetic Address to the Nation, we invite the American public to go on the record with their own truth, their own assessment of who we are and who we want to be as a nation."

Moscone adds, "We are so honored to partner with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture -- which is not a government agency -- to bring the voices of the people to our stage at YBCA and to prove that democracy is not a monologue, but a conversation, shared between people and performed as art by the great poets who generate a culture of inclusion and hope against all odds."

Performers include Chinaka Hodge, Bob Holman, Luis Rodriguez, Marvin K. White, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Guillermo Gómez Peña, Dennis Kim aka Denizen Kane, Michelle Lee (Mush), Marc Bamuthi-Joseph, Cam Awkward, Terisa Siagotonu, and Geoff & Emily Kagan-Trenchard.

Ticket Information
The 2017 Poetic Address to the Nation is on Saturday, March 11, 2017, 5-6:30pm
General Admission: $10 in advance / $15 at the door
Students, Seniors, Teachers: $9 in advance / $13 at the door
YBCA Members: $8

Live event: YBCA Theater, 700 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94103 ; 415.978.2787
Simultaneous livestream: FreeSpeech TV's website and YBCA's Facebook page

About the Emcee
Chinaka Hodge is the author of a new book of poetry and short prose, Dated Emcees (City Lights Press). She is a writer, educator, and performer born and raised in Oakland, California. Her work aims to make black women visible in productive ways. She is a Senior Fellow at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Visiting Editor at The California Sunday Magazine and a founder of The Life is Living festival series.
At present, she is collaborating with directors Ryan Coogler and Destin Cretton on a new TV series, MINORS. www.chinakahodge.com

About the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture
The U.S. Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) is a people-powered department-a grassroots action network inciting creativity and social imagination to shape a culture of empathy, equity, and belonging. Since 2014, the USDAC has engaged more than 20,000 artists, activists, and allies in 40+ states in arts-based dialogues and actions. By creating opportunities for learning, connection, and collective action at the local and national level, the USDAC works toward a society that affirms the right to culture; values each community's heritage, contributions, and aspirations; and dismantles all barriers to love and justice. www.usdac.us.

About Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is one of the nation's most innovative contemporary arts centers. Founded in 1993, YBCA's mission is to generate culture that moves people. Through powerful art experiences, thoughtful and provocative content, and deep opportunities for participation, YBCA is committed to creating an inclusive culture that awakens personal and societal transformation. YBCA presents a wide variety of programming year-round, including performing arts, visual arts, film/video and civic engagement. YBCA venues include the Forum, Screening Room, Galleries, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater. For tickets and information, call 415.978.ARTS (2787)