Reminder: Music and Poetry in the Park, Tomorrow! |
Come listen to readings and performances of Providence high school students and local, esteemed poets: Erica Carpenter, Nehassaiu deGannes, and Michael Gizzi. Bring blankets and chairs for this outdoor summer performance that celebrates the diverse voices of Providence. The event will be held tomorrow, Saturday, August 5th, at 5 pm at the Met: Peace Street Campus, 362 Dexter Street. (map) Enjoy original live music performed by "Alternate Ending," a 3-piece band formed at New Urban Arts this spring, featuring Adrienne Adeyemi, age 18, Kian Shenfield, 18, and Daniel Valmas, 17. They will perfrom original songs, written by Adrienne who also plays accoustic guitar, while Kian and Daniel play violin and bass, respectively. They will also be performing covers of Radiohead and Simon and Garfunkel. About the headliners: Nehassaiu deGannes, professional poet, playwright, and actor, has called Providence home for the past 12 years working at Trinity Rep, Perishable Theatre, Providence Black Rep, and The Gamm. Last winter, she premiered her one-woman show, Door of No Return. Her chapbook, Percussion, Salt & Honey, was awarded the Providence Athenaeum's Philbrick Poetry Prize. She is a graduate of the Brown University MFA program in Literary Arts / Creative Writing. Erica Carpenter is an accomplished poet and Rhode Island native who volunteers as an artist mentor at New Urban Arts. She is a graduate of the Brown University MFA program in Literary Arts / Creative Writing and recipient of a 2005 RISCA Fellowship. In literary circles, her work has been described as "a celebration of subtlety in an age of bluntness." She will read from her recent book, Perspective Would Have Us, published by Burning Deck Press. Michael Gizzi is a nationally praised author of over 15 esteemed poetry collections and a twice recipient of the Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Writing. He coordinates the Downcity Poetry Series at Tazza in Providence and has collaborated on several Kerouac-inspired projects with Clark Coolidge. "Cross James Joyce and Jack Nicholson in a high energy construct machine and you have Michael Gizzi's poems. He will tell you everything you knew was true but didn't have the guts to say," claims NY poet, Lisa Jarnot. The performances will cap off an all-day festival of art and entertainment hosted by the Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services (11 - 5 pm). The "Celebrate Providence!" neighborhood programming series is presented and sponsored by the City of Providence, David N. Cicilline, Mayor, Department of Art, Culture, and Tourism, Department of Public Parks, in cooperation with the Department of Recreation. |