JIE collaborates on Poetry for the People event
JIE has been collaborating with Adjunct Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies Samiya Bashir’s Poetry for the People class on an upcoming anthology launch, poetry reading, and community dinner. The event is the culmination of Professor Bashir’s Fall 2024 course (full description below).
The event, Poetry for the People in a Season of Action, is co-sponsored by the Institute for Research in African American Studies, the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, the Department of Music, and the Justice-in-Education Initiative.
The Shabazz Center
Monday, December 2 ｜6:00PM—8:00 PM
Free and open to the public.
Course Title: “Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint Revisited”
Founded by the late poet and activist June Jordan in 1991, Poetry for the People (P4P) teach empowerment through the artistic expression of writing and reading poetry. P4P focuses on the reading, writing, and teaching of poetry. By connecting arts, activism, and academics, the program also engages in bridging the gap between the university and the larger community, working with schools, community organizations, and activist projects in the neighborhoods within and around the university. Jordan’s model has a set of guidelines for the crafting of poetry which emphasize maximum impact with minimum words. African American and American Poets of Color are centered, alongside contemporary African poets.
Together we will explore the power of writing and witness how much it may help people grow both together and independently. In practical terms, this will translate to rigorous reading, writing exercises, and in-depth class discussion designed to hone the critical skills and strategies necessary to the craft. We will read, listen to, and analyze poetry written by nationally recognized authors in an attempt to find a common critical language that we will use while discussing student work. Students will write poetry, both in and out of class, and will workshop that poetry with their peers. Students will engage in writing exercises designed to help them develop and strengthen more intentional writing skills.
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