11/1/2020 0 Comments Zoom Poets Live!By By Erin Painter 11-1-2020 Do you love language and experiencing the joy when the right words are put together? Then you are in the right place. The Poets Laureate Program of Racine and Kenosha brings the love of the written word to our community through Zoom Poets Live!, a monthly virtual event, featuring performances by both past and current Kenosha and Racine Poets Laureate as well as other poets from southeastern Wisconsin and across the country. On the second Saturday of each month at 7:00pm, Tony Gardner, Zoom Poets Live! host, will welcome you to the gathering. Over the next two hours, you're likely to experience a variety of styles and personalities from poets working in formal verse to those who engage in improvisation and are as much performers as they are practitioners of the poetic art form. Admission to Zoom Poets Live! is free and it’s a great way to see the poets in action or join in yourself. To take part in an upcoming event, send an email to Stephen Kalmar II at [email protected] and let him know if you want to be in the audience or if you wish to recite some work. We welcome all to come and listen to each other’s art. We want to support the poets in our community and bring an appreciation of poetry to all. Visit our Facebook page for notices of future Zoom Poets Live! events and other news about the Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate Program. Here is the link to the zoom video that is uploaded to Facebook, so you can enjoy the poems and plan for joining in the next one. https://www.facebook.com/548805071878650/videos/1103821443438198 CategoriesAll Events Exhibits General Information Partnerships Publications
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10/25/2020 0 Comments What Is A Poet Laureate?By Erin Painter October 15, 2020 A Poet Laureate is a poet who has been honored for their achievement by their country, state, or city. The tradition of appointing poets to this post began in ancient Greece, when these wordsmiths and other high achievers were crowned with laurel wreaths. In 17th century England, Ben Jonson became the first modern-day Poet Laureate, but 50 years went by before the laureateship became recognized as an established royal office. (source: Brittanica.com) The United States bestowed a similar title, consultant of poetry for the Library of Congress, in 1936, to Joseph Auslander. The title was changed in 1985 to Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. Initially, the honored poet was responsible for developing the Library of Congress' collections. In more recent years, they became mostly involved in poetry readings, lectures, and other projects and activities. Joy Harjo is the current US Poet Laureate. In the year 2000, by executive order, Governor Tommy Thompson created the position of Wisconsin Poet Laureate. Margaret Rozga of Milwaukee currently serves in this position. Also in 2000, the Milwaukee Public Library launched the Milwaukee Poet Laureate project, which is funded by its Friends of the Library and administered by Woodland Pattern bookstore. Other Wisconsin cities and counties followed Milwaukee's lead over the next two decades, including Madison, Chippewa Falls, Door County, Sheboygan, and Kenosha/Racine. The Kenosha and Racine Poets Laureate Program was launched in 2011, inspired by a Wisconsin Arts Board initiative entitled, Art Matters, which encouraged artists of these two southeastern Wisconsin cities to share knowledge and resources, encourage each others creative endeavors, and to frequent each other's activities and events. The Art Matters initiative also inspired the creation of the annual get bEHIND the aRTS studio tours. The Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate Program is administered by a nine-member, volunteer Board of Directors. Its fiscal sponsor is Spectrum School of the Arts and Gallery in Racine, WI. Over the past ten years, the Program has appointed twelve poets to represent their respective communities and challenged them to develop and present creative projects. These projects have included engagements within high school and higher education classrooms, senior centers, prisons, performance spaces, galleries, and in a private park. 2016-17 Kenosha Poet Laureate Brent Mitchell put together a poetry walk, a temporary installation, featuring poems printed on signs and placed around the Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary. This Program also partners with other organizations in southeastern Wisconsin to bring their respective missions to a wider audience. Kenosha Public Library has been a partner with the Program since its inception and regularly hosts poetry-related activities, as well as it appoints a member of its staff to serve on the Program's Board of Directors. In 2021, the Racine Concert Band will perform an original score, composed by UW-Parkside music professor James Crowley, which includes words by past and present Kenosha and Racine Poets Laureate. For more information, contact the Kenosha/Racine Poets Laureate Program through this website or at its Facebook page. |
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