I am deliberate / and afraid / of nothing

Academy of American Poets

The Academy of American Poets in New York City, New York, dedicated four Saturdays of its popular Poem-a-Day series in March to poems that explored the theme of Poetry & Protest through the Project 19 initiative, which included commissioning 19 women poets to write new poems about women and the right to vote. Poem-a-Day is distributed to more than 500,000 readers each morning via email, social media, and syndication.

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Asian American Writers' Workshop

The Asian American Writers' Workshop co-presented, in partnership with Poetry Coalition founding member Mizna, “I Am Deliberate And Afraid of Nothing: Poetry, Prose, and Protest,” a virtual reading with Andrea Abi Karam, Romaissaa Benzizoune, Susan Muaddi Darraj, and Sham-e-Ali Nayeem via Facebook Live.

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Asian American Writers' Workshop & Mizna

Lambda Literary, The Poetry Project, & Zoeglossia

Lambda Literary in Los Angeles, California, co-hosted a virtual reading and digital performance titled Poetry and Protest with Poetry Coalition founding members The Poetry Project and Zoeglossia.

These readings, from poets Moncho Alvardo, Wo Chan, Jerome Ellis, Liv Mammone, and Tommy Pico, address the intermingling themes of protest, community, personhood, and immigration.

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Letras Latinas at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies

Letras Latinas at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies in Notre Dame, Indiana, commissioned award-winning poets heidi andrea restrepo rhodes and Teri Cross Davis to compose poems that engaged with the theme of Poetry & Protest. On the evening of March 25, they performed their new and related work at a virtual event presented in partnership with Poetry Coalition founding member Split This Rock.

Photo credit: “Poetry Comes Out of My Mouth” by Maceo Montoya (2017)

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Mass Poetry

Mass Poetry in Boston, Massachusetts, produced “In This Place (An American Lyric),” a video project in collaboration with videographer Paula Champagne. It features a stirring choral recitation of a protest-themed poem of the same name by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. This short film, released in conjunction with National Poetry Month, features sixteen Massachusetts poets hailing from across the state, including Northampton Poet Laureate Karen Skolfield, Worcester Poet Laureate Juan Matos, Worcester Youth Poet Laureate Amina Mohammad, poet and children’s author Rich Michelson, and Brandeis University Visiting Poet-in-Residence Chen Chen, among many others

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Mizna

Mizna in St. Paul, Minnesota co-presented, with Poetry Coalition founding member the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, “I Am Deliberate And Afraid of Nothing: Poetry, Prose, and Protest,” a virtual reading with Andrea Abi Karam, Romaissaa Benzizoune, Susan Muaddi Darraj, and Sham-e-Ali Nayeem via Facebook Live.

In addition to the collaboration with AAWW, Mizna presented a reading from poets George Abraham, Tarik Dobbs, Marlin M. Jenkins, and Yara Omer on March 12 in Minneapolis at Fall Out Arts. Inspired by Audre Lorde’s charge “I am deliberate/ and afraid / of nothing” and Sudanese artist Alaa Satir’s visual art series “We are the revolution,” the presenting poets responded to the timely theme of poetry and protest. Two scheduled poets were not able to join, Roy G. Guzmán and Maitreyi Ray. The accompanying poetry workshop lead by George Abraham has been postponed due to COVID19, and will be taking place online soon. Details coming soon.

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Poetry Society of America

The Poetry Society of America in New York City, New York, presented a web feature addressing the theme of Poetry & Protest, including poetry reading lists curated by Hala Alyan, Eloisa Amezcua, Sheila Black, Joy Ladin, Craig Santos Perez, and others.

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The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University

The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, showcased its Armed with Our Voices digital, interactive exhibit, which prompts users to respond to historical documents, oral histories, and multimedia stories related to the Kent State shootings on May 4, 1970. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the tragic shootings, this immersive, digital experience provides a creative exploration of the relationship between peace and conflict, as well as the growing student activism movements around the world. The exhibit features a state-of-the-art “Listening Wall,” which the Wick Poetry Center developed with prototype funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

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One Poem: A Protest Reading in Support of Black Lives

On August 18, 2020, the founding members of the Poetry Coalition presented a live broadcast of One Poem: A Protest Reading in Support of Black Lives. In this first-ever nationwide reading curated by the coalition, a poet invited by each founding member organization shared a poem in support of Black lives. Readers included Kazim Ali, Kimberly Blaeser, Jericho Brown, Kwame Dawes, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Safia Elhillo, Martín Espada, Sesshu Foster, Alberto Ríos, Monica Youn, and more.

I am deliberate / and afraid / of nothing

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Poetry & Protest

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