POETRY ROUNDTABLE @ JAVA VINO

Teen and adult poetry enthusiasts are invited to attend the Racine Public Library's Poetry Roundtable, to enjoy a lively discussion of some of today's most intriguing poets. The group meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 7-9 p.m. at Java Vino, 424 Main St. These free events focus on contemporary American poetry, highlighting a different poet at each meeting. As a group, participants will read poetry excerpts, analyze them and discuss their significance in today's society. Individuals with varying levels of poetry experience are welcome.

The winter season of Poetry Roundtable will feature these three national poets:

THURSDAY, NOV. 20; 7-9 P.M.
Harryette Mullen
"proceed with abandon"

Harryette Mullen's books of poetry include Muse & Drudge (Singing Horse, 1995), S*PeRM**K*T (1992), Trimmings (1991), and Tree Tall Woman (1981). Her poetry has appeared in journals and magazines including Agni Review, Antioch Review, Bombay Gin, Chain, Epoch and The World, among many others. Her honors include artist the Gertrude Stein Award in Innovative American Poetry, and a Rockefeller Fellowship from the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Rochester. Harryette Mullen teaches African-American literature and creative writing in the English Department at the
University of California, Los Angeles.


THURSDAY, DEC. 18, 7-9 P.M.
John Giorno
"I'm tired/ of being scared/ I'm tired of being scared."

One of the most innovative and influential figures of 20th Century poetry, John Giorno's exhaustively accomplished career spans forty years. One of his many books, You Got To Burn To Shine (Serpent's Tail, 1994), details his personal memoirs, including the story of his relationship with Andy Warhol (Giorno was the star of Warhol's first film, Sleep, 1963), and his thoughts about the Tibetan Buddhist understanding of death in the age of AIDS. Founded in 1965, Giorno
Poetry Systems innovated the use of technology in poetry, connecting poetry with many new audiences. He also pioneered the hugely successful Dial-a-poem project. Giorno's AIDS Treatment Project, begun in 1984, is among the long list of his non-poetry-related endeavors.


THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 7-9 P.M.
Cathy Park Hong
"But allure the shoe-polished twilight,/brunt flotilla of stars"

Cathy Park Hong's first book, Translating Mo'um (2002), won a Pushcart Prize. Hong is also the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, and a Village Voice Fellowship for Minority Reporters. Her poems have been published in American Letters & Commentary, Denver Quarterly, Verse, Jubilat, and other journals, and she has reported for the Village Voice, the New York Times Magazine,
The Guardian, and Salon. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and teaches at Sarah Lawrence College.

Poetry Roundtable is facilitated by Nick Demske, a local poet and employee of the Racine Public Library. Contact Nick at nick.demske@racinelibrary.info for information about each month's selected poet, including interviews, criticisms, poetry and more. While Poetry Roundtable events are free and drop-ins are welcome, it is recommended that interested participants call the Racine Public Library at 262.636.9217 to register in advance.