Poetry on Broadway

Portland Center for the Performing Arts Foundation and the Attic Institute Present

Poetry on Broadway

Linda Bierds | Paulann Petersen | Zach Schomburg | Rick Barot | Floyd Skloot | Camille Dungy | Crystal Williams | Wendy Willis | Katrina Roberts

Poetry on Broadway is a free poetry series that takes place in the heart of Portland at SW Main & Broadway. The readings will take place in the rotunda of Antoinette Hatfield Hall with a reception at the ArtBar & Bistro (1111 SW Broadway). Five monthly poetry events September 2013 – May 2014. 8pm – 10pm.

September 23: Linda Bierds

Linda Bierds: Raised in Anchorage, Alaska and graduate of the University of Washington, award-winning poet Linda Bierds uses her poetry to explore historical and scientific information from a new angle. Her work allows people to rediscover the lives of nineteenth century figures including Darwin, Beethoven, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Linda’s most prominent work includes her book The Ghost Trio (1994), named as a Notable Book Selection by the American Library Association. http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/1551

 

October 14: Paulann Petersen & Zack Schomburg

Paulann Petersen: Oregon's sixth Poet Laureate, Paulann Petersen has six full-length books of poetry, most recently Understory from Lost Horse Press. She was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and received the 2006 Holbrook Award from Oregon Literary Arts. She serves on the board of Friends of William Stafford, organizing the January Stafford Birthday Events. http://www.paulann.net/index.php

Zack Schomburg: Zachary Schomburg was born in Omaha, Nebraska and attended the College of the Ozarks for his BA and the University of Nebraska for his PhD in creative writing. Now living in Portland, Zachary writes poetry known for its absurd and tender humor. His poetry books include The Man Suit (2007), Scary, No Scary (2009), and Fjords vol. 1 (2012).http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/zachary-schomburg

 

January 20: Rick Barot & Floyd Skloot

Rick Barot: Born in the Philippines and raised in the San Francisco bay area, Rick Barot has established himself as an award-winning poet and respected teacher. Barot attended Wesleyan University, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and Stanford University, where he was a Stegner Fellow as well as a Jones Lecturer in Poetry. His collection of work includes The Darker Fall (2002) which received the Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry and Want (2008), winner of the 2009 Grub Street Book Prize and Lambda Literary Awards finalist. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/rick-barot

Floyd Skloot: Floyd Skloot was born and raised in New York before getting his undergraduate degree at Franklin & Marshall College and his master’s at Southern Illinois University. He has been publishing poetry since 1970 and his work has appeared in several major publications including the New York Times Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, and Harper’s Poetry. Floyd moved to Oregon in 1984 and has won several awards since including three Pushcart Prizes and two Oregon Book Awards. His latest poetry publications are The Snow’s Music (2006), The End of Dreams (2006), and Approximately Paradise (2005). http://www.floydskloot.com/

 

February 24: Camille Dungy & Crystal Williams

Camille Dungy: Born in Denver, Colorado, Camille Dungy moved several times with her family before settling down at Stanford University to earn her B.A. and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro to earn her M.F.A. She has several full-length poetry publications including Suck on the Marrow (2010) and the sonnet collection What to Eat, What to Drink, What to Leave for Poison (2006), a finalist for the PEN Center USA Literary Award as well as the Library of Virginia Literary Award. In addition, Camille has won the Dana Award as well as several other honors and is now living in Oakland, California. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/camille-t-dungy

Crystal Williams: Crystal Williams was raised in Detroit, Michigan and Madrid, Spain before moving to Oregon and becoming Dean for Institutional Diversity at Reed College as well as being appointed to the Oregon Arts Commission. She received her B.A. from New York University and her Masters from Cornell University. Her work includes the award winning collection titled Troubled Tongues, winner of the 2009 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Prize and finalist for the 2009 Oregon Book Award. http://crystalannwilliams.com/poetry/

 

May 19: Wendy Willis and Katrina Roberts

Wendy Willis: An advocate for Democracy, Wendy Willis graduated from Willamette University and Georgetown Law Center. She now lives in Portland with her family and is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Policy Consensus Initiative. She has several essays and works of poetry in publications including the Alhambra Poetry Calendar as well as Poetry Northwest. Her most notable work includes Blood Sisters of the Republic (2012). She now serves as an adjunct fellow in poetry at The Attic Institute. http://www.press53.com/BioWendyWillis.html

Katrina Roberts: Katrina Roberts is a graduate of Harvard University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and now serves as the Mina Schwabacher Professor of English and the Humanities at Whitman College. She is the author of four collections of poetry: Underdog (2011), Friendly Fire (2008), The Quick (2005), and How Late Desire Looks (1997).In addition to her career in poetry, Katrina also runs the Tytonidae Cellars and the Walla Walla Distilling Company with her husband. http://www.katrinaroberts.net/

 

The Portland Center for the Performing Arts Foundation is dedicated to ensuring a strong cultural arts presence in the community by supporting the Portland Center for the Performing Arts through advocacy, fundraising and region-wide community outreach. This series is made possible through an Opportunity Grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC).

The PCPA Foundation has partnered with the Attic Institute to present: Poetry on Broadway – a free poetry series at PCPA. Five monthly poetry events will be presented September 2012 – May 2013 in rotunda of Antoinette Hatfield Hall. Nationally renowned poets will read alongside local and regional poets in the greater Portland community and the Pacific NW.

For more information about this series please contact December Carson: december@pcpa.com or call 503-274-6591.

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A Statement of Our Values

The Attic Institute of Arts and Letters opposes the legitimation of bigotry, hate, and misinformation. As a studio for writers, we do not tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind. We embrace and celebrate our shared pursuit of literature and languages as essential to crossing the boundaries of difference. To that end, we seek to maintain a creative environment in which every employee, faculty member, and student feels safe, respected, and comfortable — even while acknowledging that poems, stories, and essays delve into uncomfortable subjects. We accept the workshop as a place to question ourselves and to empathize with complex identities. We understand that to know the world is to write the world. Therefore, we reaffirm our commitment to literary pursuits and shared understanding by affirming diversity and open inquiry.