Thursday, March 20, 2014

City Celebrates National Poetry Month

 Community Gallery to Host Poetry Series

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission is proud to celebrate National Poetry Month with a series of free poetry-related events at the Community Gallery. The public is invited to six events presented in collaboration with Santa Fe Poet Laureate Jon Davis, Poet Laureate Emeritus Joan Logghe and community partners: Theaterwork, New Mexico CultureNet, and Cut + Paste Society. Activities will include poetry readings and lectures. All events will take place in the Community Gallery, located at 201 West Marcy Street, inside the Santa Fe Community Convention Center. For more information, please call 505-955-6705.

National Poetry Month is a month-long celebration of poetry that was established by The Academy of American Poets in 1996. The Academy created National Poetry Month to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture, while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself.

“The Arts Commission is committed to raising the profile of poetry in the community,” states Debra Garcia y Griego, Executive Director of the Arts Commission. “Hosting this month-long showcase of poetry in the Community Gallery is our honor and we are grateful to the many willing partners that came forward to support this effort.”

National Poetry Month at the Community Gallery includes:

Saturday, April 5, 2014, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., “Small Rooms with Gods,” a new collection of poems by Angela Janda. Janda and actors from Theaterwork will read under the direction of David Olson, Artistic Director of Theaterwork.

Saturday, April 12, 2014 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Young Poets presented by New Mexico CultureNet. Colleen Gorman, Damien Flores and Jasmine Sena y Cuffee are three dynamic youth poets that have been spoken word and slam champions. Each will bring energy and imagination to their performance.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., “Santa Fe Poets 4,” is the next in a series of six group readings organized by Santa Fe Poet Laureate Jon Davis. Five Santa Fe poets, including Santa Fe Poet Laureate Emeritus Valerie Martinez, will join Davis for this reading.

Saturday, April 19, 2014 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., “Pushing a Red Wheelbarrow Through the Waste Land,” a lecture by Santa Fe Poet Laureate Jon Davis. For the interested, but puzzled poetry reader, Davis will lead a high-speed romp through sixty years of American poetry (1950 to 2010) and explain why American poets agree on almost nothing, yet continue to insist there is something called “poetry.”

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., “Odes and Offerings Revisited,” a poetry reading by Santa Fe Poet Laureate Emeritus Joan Logghe. Join Logghe as she reads from her latest book featuring work from her time as Santa Fe’s Poet Laureate.

Saturday, April 26, 2014 from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., “Poetry Storm 3.0/Wind,” the Cut+Paste Society will present an all-ages poetry storm featuring sixteen women reading works about the wind.


The Community Gallery promotes, sells and exhibits the work of New Mexico artists through exhibitions, professional training and community involvement in the arts. Gallery programming provides a range of services, exhibitions and activities that engage the public as well as support the efforts of local artists. As a result, the Gallery is a hub for viewing and exhibiting exciting artworks and brings the community to art as well as art to the community. The Community Gallery, located inside the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 West Marcy, is open Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information call 505-955-6705.

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