Poetry Matters Project is proud to welcome Al Black and Len Lawson to the Troubadour Stage as featured poets. Black and Lawson are the co-founders of Poets Respond to Race.
Al Black, a Columbia, SC, poet, organizer, and advocate, and Len Lawson, a poet and teacher, will join us for a Poets Respond to Race reading. Black is the author of the collection I Only Left for Tea, which is characterized by “quiet intimacy and vulnerability,” according to writer Ed Madden. Lawson’s poetry appears in several anthologies and journals including pluck! A Journal of Affrilachian Arts. In the wake of the Charleston tragedy, Black and Lawson began coproducing the Poets Respond to Race tour, which has included readings in three states and aims to bring unity and conversation through poetry. According to its mission statement, Poets Respond to Race “holds open forums on race and diversity to offer a gateway into tough conversations that can change communities in the south.”
Open mic featuring local poets Aaron Snow, Vanessa Harris and a few new fresh voices will be on hand for the event. For more information contact Poetry Matters Project at [email protected].