Guest Performer Announced For Howard County Arts Council's 23rd Annual Celebration Of The Arts Gala!

The Howard County Arts Council is has announced that slam poet Gayle Danley will be the featured guest performer for the 23rd Annual Celebration of the Arts in Howard County gala, presented by Howard Bank. This year's gala, originally scheduled for March but postponed due to the COVID-19 public health crisis, will be held virtually; ticket holders can view the entire performance on Thursday, August 27 at 8pm.

International Poetry Slam Champion, Maryland Library Association Poet of the Year, and former Young Audience's National Artist of the Year Gayle Danley has turned her life into slam poetry that she shares onstage and in the classroom with children and adults all over the country. Her work with children who have experienced trauma has been featured in a TED-Ed talk, on CBS's 60 Minutes, and in The Washington Post. Gayle leads monthly grief poetry groups and believes there is a poet inside each of us. HoCoPoLitSo's 2006 Writer in Residence, Gayle appears at the Celebration gala courtesy of the Howard County Poetry & Literature Society, in celebration of their 45th anniversary.

Join us as we Celebrate! The virtual gala will also include the Rising Star Performing Arts Competition, the presentation of the 2019 Howie Awards, and an online art auction of works by local artists. Emcee for the event is Joseph Ritsch, Producing Artistic Director for Rep Stage. Ticket holders will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Rising Star performance while chatting online with friends, or view and vote through on-demand access to the performance from Friday, August 28 at 10am through Sunday, August 30 at 8pm. The online art auction will be available during that time period as well.

Tickets are $50 and $100 and are available for purchase online through August 10 at hocoarts.org/celebration.