
Poetry Readings, Open Mic, Furious Flower Collegiate Poetry Contest, Workshops and Panel Discussions
Claudia Emerson, Nikki Giovanni, Major Jackson, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Haki Madhubuti, Jon Pineda, Lyrae Van-Clief Stefanon, Kevin Young
The registration fee is $75 and includes some meals and workshop materials. The Registration Deadline is March 1, 2010. To register by phone, call the Furious Flower Poetry Center at (540) 568-8883. Online registration is also available at http://www.jmu.edu/ubo/pay/furious_flower_sum/
Double-occupancy lodging is available at the Marriot Courtyard in Harrisonburg.
The Furious Flower Poetry Center presents
An afternoon of poetry and music…
Highlands Room
Festival Student and Conference Center
4:00 PM
Lineage is a new musical work that incorporates the poetry of Margaret Walker and the music of composer Randy Klein.
As a work of art that encompasses the two arenas of poetry and music, Lineage – The Margaret Walker Song Cycle, offers wide appeal to audiences of classical music and contemporary vocal music, as well as lovers of poetry, those interested in African American history, and, of course, fans of Margaret Walker.
“Let a new earth rise. Let another world be born. Let a bloody peace be written in the sky. Let a second generation full of courage issue forth; let a people loving freedom come to growth. Let a beauty full of healing and a strength of final clenching be the pulsing in our spirits and our blood. Let the martial songs be written, let the dirges disappear. Let a race of men now rise and take control.” - Margaret Walker (“For My People”, 1942)
Rosena M. Hill was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
She has performed in several Broadway shows including, "The Color Purple," "Ragtime," and Monty Python’s "Spamalot". She was also featured as an Amanzi soloist in "Riverdance" on Broadway.
Randy Klein is an accomplished pianist, composer, record producer and the president of Jazzheads, an independent record label featuring improvised jazz.
Shaping Memories offers short essays by notable black women writers on pivotal moments that strongly influenced their careers. With contributions from such figures as novelist Paule Marshall, folklorist Daryl Cumber Dance, poets Mari Evans and Camille Dungy, essayist Ethel Morgan Smith, and scholar Maryemma Graham, the anthology provides a thorough overview of the formal concerns and thematic issues facing contemporary black women writers.
Book published by University Press of Mississippi http://www.upress.state.ms.us/
Mourning Katrina: A Poetic Response to Tragedy is about devastation and mourning, about the failure of humanity to act humanely, about the politics of poverty and race, but it is also about hope and healing. The poets give voice to the rainbow that comes after the storm and the revival of spirit that comes out of the depths of tested faith. All of them share a willingness to see beyond their sorrow to reinvent the spirit of "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" Though human suffering shaped the beginning of this project, the result of it is a morning of hope and inspiration.

Word Is Born is a student organization on JMU's Campus. If you are interested in joining Word Is Born Poets Society - JMU's Poetry club, e-mail Latasha Trimiew at Trimienl@jmu.edu
Use the link on the left to learn more about Word Is Born and look at upcoming activities for the organization.