News Release

04/17/2007
City Youth Poet Project Readings to Culminate National Poetry Month Activities

Providence Public Library (PPL) will host poetry readings at three branches this month in culmination of its 2007 celebration of National Poetry Month (April). The Library – with the help of local NEA poet/educators Orlando White, Kate Schapira and Christine Gardiner, all of Providence – has conducted the city-wide Youth Poetry Project entitled Poetry Lives in Providence through a $7,500 National Endowment for the Arts grant.

The public poetry readings will feature poetry written by the project’s youth poets, as well as selections by each of the local poet/educators from their own published works. Kate Schapira received her Masters in Poetry from Brown University in 2006 and Orlando White and Christine Gardiner are currently Master’s candidates in Poetry at Brown.

The project, which began in March, was designed to encourage youth city-wide to express themselves through poetry. Throughout the six-week workshops, held at PPL’s Mount Pleasant, Smith Hill, and Olneyville branch libraries, participating youth were encouraged to explore poetry in all its various styles. With help from the local published poets, they read published poems, learned how to write poetry, and worked on producing their own poetry/rap books. The end results of their work will be featured in Youth Poetry Anthologies, displayed on poem posters, and shared at the following free poetry reading events:

• Mount Pleasant Branch Library, 315 Academy Avenue, Monday, April 23 – 6:00 pm – hosted by poet/educator Orlando White. The Reading will be followed by an open-mic style poetry read, where library patrons will be invited to read. Refreshments will be served.
• Smith Hill Branch Library, 31 Candace Street, Wednesday, April 25 – 5:30 pm – hosted by poet/educator Kate Schapira. Following the Project Reading, youth poets from Smith Hill will hold their Read & Rap Program celebration, reading their poetry produced during this four-year running Library program, in which many of the youth also take part.
• Olneyville Branch Library, One Olneyville Square, Wednesday, May 2 – 6:00 pm – hosted by poet/educator Christine Gardiner. The youth who have participated in this branch project are also planning to read at scheduled poetry open-mic nights on Tuesday & Thursday, April 24 & 26 at 3:30 pm.

In addition to the free, open poetry readings, 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 as well as posters displayed at Border’s at Providence Place.