Martha's Vineyard's Renaissance Presents Hosts Poetry Reading with Afaa Michael Weaver & Rich Michelson Tonight

Two of the most regaled poets of the 21st century, Afaa Michael Weaver and Rich Michelson, will be reading together at the Katharine Cornell Theater, 54 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven tonight, July 3 at 7:00PM. It is free and the public is invited.

"Both men write issue oriented poetry with deep thoughts delivered in language tailored to the needs of their audiences," said Abigail McGrath, founder of Renaissance House. "Afaa is black and Rich is white. Both men write about race, multiculturalism and humanity in a realistic, down to earth style."

Afaa Michael Weaver, a Renaissance House Writer-in- Residence, was born in East Baltimore and is the son of a sharecropper. Recently, he was featured in Time magazine for earning the Kingsley Tufts Award, one of the most prestigious prizes a poet can win. After serving for two years in the Army, he toiled for 15 years in factories, writing poems all the while. When he learned that he'd won a National Endowment Fellowship, he quit his job and attended Brown University on a full a scholarship and earned a master's degree. The Pew Award winning poet earned a Fulbright scholarship to China, which afforded him the opportunity to learn Mandarin and identify with Chinese culture He writes in Mandarin as well as English andconnects with "everyman." Some of his acclaimed poetry books include: The Government of Nature, The Plum Flower Dance, Blues In Five/Four, The Violence In Chicago amongst others. He is a professor at Simmons College.

"Good writing is two things: putting words together in a pretty way and having good thoughts. What separates Afaa from other good writers is that he combines those two talents in an unique way that is totally inclusive," said McGrath. "He is truly a Renaissance man not just because he is a wordsmith, but because he also has a capacity to understand the human emotion that binds us all together. The fact that he worked in a factory and that he won a Fulbright allows him to be able to touch each one us in language we can all understand."

Rich Michelson is winner of the Harlem Book Fest, Phillis Wheatley award, The Parents Choice Award, The Gillette Burgess Award, The National Jewish Book Award and a range of others. He writes both heartwarming, historical stories and imaginative, word loving poetry collections. His children's book was listed by the New Yorker as a Best Book of 1993. Subsequent books have received a Children's book Committee Book of the Year, a Jewish Book Council Book of the Month and a Skipping Stones Magazine Multicultural Honor Award. Michelson's poetry for adults has been published in many anthologies, including The Norton Introduction to Poetry. Clemson University named Michelson their Calhoun Distinguished Reader in American Literature in 2008. The Jerusalem Post called his collection Battles & Lullabies, "a touching masterpiece." Recent poems have appeared in The Harvard Review, The Massachusetts Review, Parnassus and elsewhere. Michelson is the host of Northampton Poetry Radio and he is currently serving his second term as Poet Laureate ofNorthampton Massachusetts.

"Rich Michelson is one of the more charming and affable residents of the camp grounds in Oak Bluffs. You can sit on his porch and hear him tell fascinating stories of all ilk. Funny, opinionated and well informed, Rich can talk to anybody about any-thing," said McGrath. "On July 3, we will be celebrating his birthday at the Katharine Cornell Theatre."

Sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation, Renaissance House was named in honor of these two cousins who were writers during the Harlem Renaissance. West, the author of the award-winning novel and film The Wedding, and her poet cousin Johnson (Mc Grath's mother) were writers during the Harlem Renaissance. . Founded by McGrath, an author, playwright and filmmaker who was the inspiration for the novel The Wedding, Renaissance House provides writers and other artists with a subsidized retreat away from life's responsibilities and the space in which to create new works of art. It is one of the few retreats designed for issue-oriented writers, writers of color and writers of social justice.

Renaissance House Celebrates of Frederick Douglass Speech on July 4

Renaissance House invites readers of all ages to go to the famous Inkwell Beach in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard on Saturday, July 4 at 12:00noon to bring life to the words of one of the top speeches of all time. Participants are invited to publicly read sections of the historic speech "What Does the Fourth of July Mean to the Negro?" by the legendary human rights activist Frederick Douglass, the first black citizen in U.S. history to hold a high ranking government office.