Michele Russo, Poetry Coordinator
We’re pretty excited. This fall, we’re visiting High Schools that have never hosted a Dodge Poetry Event before. They may have attended the Dodge Poetry Festival or attended another High School’s Mini-Festival. The teachers may have participated in Clearing the Spring, Tending the Fountain. This year they took the leap to invite the poets directly into their building. Here’s a preview of what’s happening this Fall:
- The Academy of the Holy Angels in Demarest, NJ is hosting a Dodge Poet Visit with Patrick Phillips.
- Belvidere High School in Warren County is hosting a Mini-Festival featuring BJ Ward and Maria Mazziotti Gillan.
- North Star Academy Charter High School in Newark is hosting a Mini-Festival featuring Newark native Kyle Dargan. We’re working on the rest of the line-up.
- Spotswood High School is hosting a Mini-Festival featuring Joe Weil and Emari DiGiorgio.
- St. Mary’s High School in Elizabeth is hosting a Poet Visit with John Murillo.
- University High School in Newark is hosting a Poet Visit. We’re working on setting that up.
Dodge Poet Visits and Dodge Poetry Mini-Festivals are a chance for high school students to explore poetry with accomplished, published Dodge Poets. Dodge Poets give students a way to relate to poetry that is interesting and relevant to them, and through their modeling of curiosity and discovery, encourage students to be lifelong readers and poetry lovers.
We are scheduling more events for the 2011-2012 school year, and we’ll give you an update in a few months. We co-sponsor Poet Visits and Mini-Festivals according to each school’s financial need. We identify and schedule your Dodge Poets, ensuring that your event is meaningful for your students.
If you think you’d like a Dodge Poetry event in your high school, contact Michele Russo, Poetry Coordinator at mrusso@grdodge.org or 973-540-8442 x113.
***
Support the Dodge Poetry Archive and Poetry Program. Click here.
Or visit our pop up shop – all proceeds go to the Dodge Poetry Program!
Did you know that the Dodge Poetry Program has a YouTube channel? Take a look – view video clips from past biennial Festivals! You can also join the conversation on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter @dodgepoetryfest. See you there!