Purdue University North Central and the Michigan City Public Library are co-sponsoring a series of programs in April to highlight National Poetry Month. All programs are open to the public.
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1401 S US 421
Westville, IN 46391
Phone: 219-785-5200
"We want to make a mark on the map here in the county for the power of the art and language of the poet and poetry," said Judy Jacobi, PNC assistant vice chancellor for Marketing and Campus Relations and one of the programs' organizers. "The tradition is rich and it is critical in bettering our ability to communicate, something that we all aspire to do better. And, of course, poetry events bring together people of all ages in the most dynamic ways. Everyone's a poet and these events are entertaining and enlightening."
The month's events include:
Voices of the Poets on Sunday, April 3 at 2 p.m. at the Michigan City Public Library, 100 E. Fourth St., Michigan City. This is free and open to the public.
Susan Block, Joel Brussell and Edward Byrne will present their own voices of poetry. Block is the former poet-laureate of LaPorte County. Her poetry speaks to the human heart.
Brussell uses humor to hit home with his satirical poetry. His CD "Misspoken Word" will be available.
Byrne, professor of English at Valparaiso University, is the author of seven collections of poetry. A chapbook collection of his new poetry sequence, "Dark Refuge," was recently published.
The PoetryPalooza Poetry Competition and Open Mic will be Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. in the Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02.
The PNC English Club invites area poets to enter one original work of poetry, three minutes or less in length. Prizes with be awarded with $150 for first place, $100 for second and $50 for third. To enter the competition, send an email including name, a couple of sentences about the poet and an attachment of the poem to alam19211@hotmail.com with POETRY RSVP in the subject line of the email.
After judging, an open mic will be available. A $5 entry fee for competing poets will be charged at the door. Spectators and open mic participants may attend for $1. Coffeehouse-style refreshments will be available.
Further information may be obtained by contacting Amanda at anhale@pnc.edu or Elyse at wintere@pnc.edu.
On Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m., the award-winning film "Louder Than a Bomb" will be shown at the Michigan City Public Library.
This film chronicles the stories of four high school poetry teams as they prepare for and compete in the 2008 poetry slam known as Louder Than a Bomb in Chicago. It is by turns hopeful and heartbreaking at it captures the tempestuous lives of these teams, exploring the ways writing shapes their world and vice versa.
This is not "high school poetry." These talented teenagers are obsessed with making words dance. The film explores how and why they do it and the community they create along the way. The film was produced and directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel at the Chicago-based documentary production company, Siskel/Jacobs Productions.
Further information about these activities may be obtained by contacting Robin Kohn at the Michigan City Public Library at 219-873-3049 or rkohn@mclib.org.