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News Release

03/06/2007
Providence Public Library Celebrates National Poetry Month (April) with City Youth Poet Project

Through a $7,500 National Endowment for the Arts grant, Providence Public Library (PPL) is celebrating 2007 National Poetry Month (April) with Poetry Lives in Providence, a City Youth Poet Project designed to encourage city-wide youth to express themselves through poetry. Beginning this month and continuing through April, the project features workshops led by local published poets to be offered in three of PPL’s branch libraries – Mount Pleasant, Smith Hill, and Olneyville. Poet educators include Orlando White, Kate Schapira and Christine Gardiner, all of Providence.

The City Youth Poet Project offers something for everyone! Participating youth will be encouraged to explore poetry in all its various styles. They will spend six weeks working with local published poets, during which time they will read published poems, learn how to write poetry, and work on their own poetry. Some participants will work on making their own poetry/rap books.

Poet educators will also gain a better understanding of curriculum needed to teach poetry to inner city teens as well as an opportunity to “spread the word” about the joy of poetry and its creative process. The community will benefit from exposure to the resulting works, as the project will culminate in the printing and displaying of excerpts from selected youth poetry, along with local poets’ works, throughout the City. Public displays will include signage on RIPTA buses in May and June.

The Youth Poet Project is one of a number of city-wide after school programs conducted at PPL libraries. The programs will be held as follows:

Mount Pleasant Branch Library, 315 Academy Avenue, Mondays, March 5 – April 23

Smith Hill Branch Library, 31 Candace Street, Thursdays, March 8 – April 12

Olneyville Branch Library, One Olneyville Square, Fridays, March 9 – May 4

“This youth poetry project is just one example of how Providence Public Library works innovatively to fund and deliver valuable literacy programs and services to Providence’s youth, particularly during the critical after-school hours,” said Library Director Dale Thompson.

For more information about the programs, contact poetry coordinator Tina Cane at 274-0242 or at tinacane@aol.com or Candice Haster at 455-8158 or at chaster@provlib.org.