New York, NY — Lauren Bacall, William F. Baker, Glenn Close, Jules Feiffer, David Halberstam, Ethan Hawke, Simon Schama, John Simon, Diane Wiest, Wendy Whelan, and Alfre Woodard will read their favorite poems by some of America's best-loved poets on Wednesday, April 11, 2007, at 6:30 p.m. as part of Poetry & The Creative Mind, the 5th annual benefit for the Academy of American Poets.

Poetry & The Creative Mind, which has been a sold-out event every year, will be held at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City. "Poetry & The Creative Mind has become one of the most anticipated literary events in New York City," said Tree Swenson, the Academy's Executive Director. Swenson added, "This event also resonates with lovers of film, theatre, art, music, and dance."

Poetry & The Creative Mind also kicks off the 11th annual National Poetry Month (April), which was established by the Academy in 1996 and is now the largest literary celebration in the world. With funds raised through Poetry & The Creative Mind, the Academy is able to provide free classroom materials to more than 200,000 schools during April. The funds raised last year allowed us to donate one book of poetry to every middle-school classroom and library in New York City, plus thousands more to schools and libraries in New Orleans and other cities across the country.

Among the readers at the Academy's past benefits are Meryl Streep, Wynton Marsalis, Kevin Kline, Diane Sawyer, Alan Alda, Jessye Norman, Maya Lin, Mark Morris, Diane Wiest, Natalie Portman, Laurie Anderson, Caroline Kennedy, Mary-Louise Parker, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Sacks, Kitty Carlisle Hart, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and Brice Marden. View photos from these events at www.poets.org/gala.

To purchase tickets to Poetry & The Creative Mind, call 212-721-6500, visit the Alice Tully Hall box office at Broadway and 65th Street, or log on to www.lincolncenter.org. Tickets to the performance are $35-$75. A limited number of VIP tickets (including the performance followed by a cocktail buffet supper with the special guest readers) are available starting at $450. Please contact Beth Harrison at [email protected] or (212) 274-0343 ext. 34 for more information about VIP tickets.

The Academy of American Poets is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1934 to foster appreciation for contemporary poetry and to support American poets at all stages of their careers. For more information on the Academy and its programs, visit www.poets.org.