Monday, March 16, 2009

Saturday, March 21: 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 generally meets on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 12-2 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 spring season of Poetry Roundtable will feature these three national poets:

Saturday, March 21, 12-2 p.m.

Prageeta Sharma
"Family, please, hand me over to/that silverfish"
Prageeta Sharma is the author of Bliss to Fill, The Opening Question and Infamous Landscapes. Sharma's poems and writing have appeared in Art Asia Pacific, Bomb, Boston Review, Fence, Indiana Review, The Literary Review, Vanitas, Women's Review of Books and other journals.


Saturday, April 11, 12-2 p.m. (Please note date change)

K. Silem Mohammad
"I think unicorns are pretty and I love cupcakes" "Goofy, weird, beyond funny, wise, wicked, K. Silem Mohammad is the exorcist giving us all a ride home. Beyond the pale, right with it, he's my poet laureate for our frightening state of the union."
-Linh Dinh


Saturday, May 16, 12-2 p.m.
Wanda Coelman
"usta be young usta be gifted—still black"
Wanda Coleman was born in 1946 and is the author of Bathwater Wine, winner of the 1999 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. A former medical secretary, magazine editor, journalist and scriptwriter, Coleman has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation for her poetry. Her other books of poetry include Native in a Strange Land: Trials & Tremors, Hand Dance, African Sleeping Sickness, A War of Eyes & Other Stories, Heavy Daughter Blues: Poems & Stories 1968-1986, Imagoes, and Mercurochrome: New Poems. She has also written Mambo Hips & Make Believe: A Novel, published in 1999.

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.

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