FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT:
David Mayhew, 203-533-5621
david@davidmayhew.net
Josh Balber, 973-353-8051
jbalber@njpac.org
GERALDINE R. DODGE POETRY FESTIVAL TO RETURN TO THE NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AND NEWARK’S DOWNTOWN ARTS DISTRICT FOR ITS
15TH BIENNIAL FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 23-26, 2014
MORRISTOWN, NJ – (January 15, 2014) The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation has announced that the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival will once again be hosted by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) and the City of Newark, New Jersey. The 15th biennial Festival will take place at NJPAC and various other venues in Newark’s Downtown Arts District from October 23 through October 26, 2014.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, an initiative of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation held biennially in even-numbered years since 1986, is a celebration of poetry that immerses participants in four days of readings, performances, and conversations. Prior to its move to NJPAC and Newark in 2010, the Festival was held primarily at Waterloo Village in Stanhope, New Jersey. In its 26-year history, the Dodge Poetry Festival has involved more than 500 poets, including Nobel Laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and an unparalleled array of much-published and award-winning poets.
“As with every Festival since 1986,” said Martin Farawell, Poetry Director, “the 2014 Festival will offer audiences the opportunity to see and hear some of the icons of the age as well as newer voices in poetry. From poets laureate to slam champions, there’s something for everyone, even people who don’t yet know how powerfully poetry can speak to them.”
“The board and staff of the Foundation are thrilled to have the Festival return to NJPAC and Newark for the third time,” said Chris Daggett, President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. “The superb working relationship our Poetry Department forged with NJPAC beginning in 2010 has developed into a very satisfying and mutually beneficial collaboration. In addition, the City of Newark again has rolled out the red carpet, and the citizens of Newark have continued to create a warm and welcoming environment for our poets and audiences, and for poetry itself.”
“We are delighted to welcome back the Dodge Foundation and join with them and the City of Newark in hosting the largest Poetry Festival in the country,” said John Schreiber, President and CEO of NJPAC. “The 2010 and 2012 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festivals brought thousands to Downtown Newark to experience the power and poignancy of the world’s greatest poets in addition to the myriad cultural and culinary offerings in our hometown. We can’t wait to anchor ‘Poetry Village’ again in 2014.”
In addition to the more than five dozen poets, storytellers and musicians who will perform in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall and Victoria Theatre, as well as Trinity & St. Philips Cathedral, The Newark Museum, Aljira and other churches, galleries and cultural institutions, visitors to the 2014 Festival will experience a wider variety of food options each day, new downtown hotels within easy walking distance of all Festival sites and, directly across from NJPAC, a magnificently restored historic Military Park with gardens, walkways and areas for relaxation and contemplation.
The 15th biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival will once again offer its Poetry Bookstore, featuring book-signings by Festival poets.
Poets participating in the 2014 Dodge Poetry Festival will be announced during National Poetry Month, April 2014, and tickets will also go on sale at that time.
For regularly updated information about the 2014 Dodge Poetry Festival visit http://www.DodgePoetry.org and join the Poetry Program’s e-mail list. Find the Festival on social media:
Facebook: Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival
Twitter: @DodgePoetryFest
Instagram: @dodgepoetry
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