PB Poetry Festival Adds Performance Poet Aja Monet & Extends Application Deadline For Poetry Workshops

Susan R. Williamson, Director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival (PBPF), today announced a couple of changes for the 14th annual festival that is returning to Old School Square for six days, January 15-20, 2018. Special Guest Poet will be Coleman Barks, a major poet and the world's leading expert on 13th century poet Rumi, the founder of Sufism - as well as the likely namesake of one of the young twins of Beyonce and Jay Z.

First, powerful performance poet Aja Monet is replacing the previously announced G Yamazawa. Monet was described by Harry Belafonte as "the true definition of an artist." An internationally established poet, singer, performer and educator, her craft is an in-depth reflection of emotional wisdom, skill, and activism. The youngest individual to win the legendary Nuyorican Poet's Café Grand Slam Title, she is recognized for combining her spellbound voice and powerful imagery on stage.

Monet's books of poetry are My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter (2017), Inner-City Chats and Cyborg Cyphers (2015), and The Black Unicorn Sings. In addition, she collaborated with poet-musician Saul Williams on the book Chorus: a literary mixtape (MTV Books/Simon & Schuster). Her first CD, Scared to Make Love/Scared Not To, is a testament to her creative lens and a social commentary on the discussion of love. Of Cuban-Jamaican heritage, Monet has performed at world-renowned venues including Town Hall Theater, the Apollo Theater, the UN and the NAACP's Barack Obama Inaugural Event in Washington, D.C.

Second, the application deadline for the Festival's poetry workshops has been extended to midnight, November 26. Nine distinguished poets will lead poetry-writing workshops at the Festival: Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Chard deNiord, Beth Ann Fennelly, Ross Gay, Rodney Jones, Phillis Levin, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Tim Seibles, with individual conferences offered by nationally acclaimed poets: Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn and Nickole Brown.

Application forms are available online at www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org, where detailed workshop descriptions and faculty biographies can be found. Tuition for workshops is $895 and includes five three-hour workshop sessions; admission to all festival events, including a ticket to attend the Festival gala and to read at open mics at the Poetry Festival book store. Limited scholarship assistance may be available.

Tuition for Auditors is $495 and includes observation of a workshop and admittance to all Festival events except the gala. Auditing is offered for beginning poets who may be shy about sharing their poems, or non-poets, and is a great opportunity to learn by observing and listening.

The 14th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will be held next January 15-20 at Old School Square in Delray Beach. The Festival features top poets at numerous ticketed public events, including readings, talks, interviews, panel discussions and more. Nine workshops will be offered for which applications are required. Special Guest Poet will be Coleman Barks, a major poet and the world's leading expert on 13th century poet Rumi, the founder of Sufism - as well as the likely namesake of one of the recently born twins of Beyoncé and Jay Z.

The distinguished poets who will lead poetry-writing workshops at the Festival include Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Chard deNiord, Beth Ann Fennelly, Ross Gay, Rodney Jones, Phillis Levin, Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Tim Seibles; with individual conferences offered by nationally acclaimed poets: Lorna Knowles Blake, Sally Bliumis-Dunn and Nickole Brown. In addition, Slam Champion Elizabeth Acevedo and powerful performance poet Aja Monet will host an event, and there will be a Special Tribute to Poet Thomas Lux, a longtime supporter of the Festival who passed away earlier this year.

The 2018 Palm Beach Poetry Festival is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; Morgan Stanley & The Legacy Group of Atlanta; the Cultural Council of Palm County, the Palm Beach County Tourism Development Council and the Board of Commissioners of Palm Beach County; The Palm Beach Post; Visit Florida; WLRN; and Murder on the Beach, Delray Beach's independent bookseller.

For more information about the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, please visit www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.

Photo Credit: Holly Port

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