The TCC Judith J. Carrier Library will host a series of programs through February in support of the Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters grant. The JJC Library is one of 49 libraries awarded this national grant. All programs are freely available to anyone to attend on Microsoft Teams. Just click the attendance link for the program to join. For more information, please visit our guide to African American poetry at https://libguides.tccd.edu/lev. It features poems, performances, and other information related to the grant. We hope to see you at the programs!

Writers Be Blockin Workshop
Presenter: Ebony Stewart, Touring Poet and Performance Artist
Date: Feb. 2
Time: 11:00 am- 12:00 pm and again at 7:00 pm -8:00 pm
Link (11:00 am): https://bit.ly/LEVwriters11
Link (7:00 pm): https://bit.ly/LEVwriters7
Description: Writers Be Blockin is an opportunity to find your voice and new ways to tell, revamp, or edit the same story to ignite ideas for writing and creating with a purpose. Expect discussion, digging, and honesty. Writers Be Blockin is presented by Ebony Stewart, Woman of the World Poetry Slam Champion. Find out more about Ebony and her work at https://www.ebpoetry.com/. This event is co-sponsored by the Judith J. Carrier Library and Southeast Student Activities.

Voices of the Past: A Journey of Identity through Poetry
Presenter: Darius Ajai Frasure (English), Dallas College Faculty, TCC Adjunct Faculty, and Poet
Date: Feb. 3
Time: 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Link: https://bit.ly/LEVvoices
Description: Using examples from the Lift Every Voice reader and his own body of work, Darius Ajai Frasure will discuss how personal and cultural histories influence poets and their art. Learn more about his poetry at https://bit.ly/3eQbCSp.

Cooking, Traditions, and Poetry: Celebrating the African American Family
Presenters: Tonya Blivens (Speech) and Sherry Sipho (Culinary Arts), TCC Faculty
Date: Feb. 11
Time: 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
Link: https://bit.ly/LEVfamily
Description: Please join us for an afternoon of family traditions beginning with Chef Sherry Sipho, TCC Culinary Arts, giving a cooking demonstration that will remind you of family dinners. Professor Tonya Blivens and the TCC Speech students will follow with short presentations of poems focusing on family themes and stories from their own families.

Lift Every Voice: The Connections between African American Poetry and Music
Presenter: Gregory Dewhirst, D.M.A., TCC Faculty
Date: Feb. 18
Time: 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
Link: https://bit.ly/LEVmusic
Description: African American poetry has deep connections with performance and music. Lift Every Voice and Sing, the perennially popular song, began as a poem. Join us to learn more about the interconnections of poetry and music with Greg Dewhirst, D.M.A., TCC Professor of Music.

African American Read-In: The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity
Presenters: Hosted by Zena Jackson, Ph.D., TCC SE Vice President of Academic Affairs, and James Foreman, TCC Public Services Librarian
Date: Feb. 22
Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
Link: https://bit.ly/2021AARI
Description: Please join us for our annual African American Read-In featuring TCC students, staff, faculty, and special guests. This year’s theme, The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity, follows the national theme for African American Heritage Month. Co-sponsored by the Judith J. Carrier Library, TCC Southeast Academic Affairs, and Southeast Student Activities.

Poetry and Civil Rights
Presenters: Michael Downs (History) & Madison Durapau (English), TCC Faculty
Date: Feb. 23
Time: 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Link: https://bit.ly/LEVcivilrights
Description: African American poetry has long reflected and been inspired by the abolitionist and later the civil rights movements. Join us for a discussion of famous civil rights poems and how the modern social justice movement is reflected in poetry today.

Super Poetry Slam
Presenters: TCC students
Date: Feb. 24
Time: 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
Link: https://bit.ly/LEVtccslam
Description: TCC students will compete by presenting their original poetry in a Super Poetry Slam. This year’s competition will take place online. All are welcome to attend and cheer the students on! Co-sponsored by the Judith J. Carrier Library, the Southeast Division of Liberal Arts, Southeast Student Activities, and the Southeast Student Poetry Club.

This program series is part of Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters, a national public humanities initiative of Library of America presented in partnership with The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture with generous support from The National Endowment for the Humanities, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Emerson Collective.

In Events, humanities, liberal arts, Programs, SE Library