Palm Beach County to Host Three Major Cultural Festivals This Winter

Palm Beach County will live up to its well-earned title as "Florida's Cultural Capital" early next year with three major festivals:

Monday, January 16 - The 13th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival, featuring Charles Simic, former United States Poet Laureate (2007) and 1990 Pulitzer Prize winner, as Special Guest Poet.

Thursday, January 19 - The 27th annual The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, which will present dozens of memorable movies from around the world.

Tuesday, January 24 - The 22nd annual FOTOfusion, hosted by the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, honoring award-winning portrait and celebrity photographer Albert Watson.

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Palm Beach Poetry Festival

January 16-21, 2017

Held at Old School Square in Delray Beach, the 13th annual Palm Beach Poetry Festival will feature 15 top poets at numerous ticketed public events, including workshops, readings, talks, interviews, panel discussions and more. Special Guest Poet in 2017 will be Charles Simic, winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize and the U.S. Poet Laureate in 2007. Among the nine distinguished poets who will lead writing workshops at the Festival are David Baker, Laura-Anne Bosselaar, Tina Chang, Lynn Emanuel, Daisy Fried, Terrance Hayes, Dorianne Laux, Carl Phillips and Martha Rhodes. Individual conferences will be offered by nationally acclaimed poets Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Nickole Brown and Ginger Murchison, and Performances at the Field House will offer sizzling spoken word by The Mayhem Poets: Mason Granger and Scott Raven. For more information about the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, visit www.palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.

Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival

January 19 - February 12, 2017

The Opening Night of the 27th annual Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will be held in the Cohen Pavilion at the Kravis Center of Performing Arts with a special screening, a private member reception and cinematic guests for a post-film discussion. The 2017 Festival will present dozens of memorable movies at the Cinemark Palace in Boca Raton, January 21-27; Cobb Theatres in Palm Beach Gardens, January 28-February 4; and the Frank Theatres in Delray Beach, February 5-11. Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, the Film Festival will close on February 12 with a matinee and awards presentation at Muvico at CityPlace in West Palm Beach.

The Film Festival strives to bring to South Florida the finest examples of cinema from around the world. Founded in 1990 the festival continues to grow and evolve as it continues to expand the selection of narrative features, short films and documentaries to reflect the tastes and needs of its audience. For more information, visit www.PBJFF.org.

Palm Beach Photographic Centre's FOTOfusion

January 24-28, 2017

FOTOfusion, the popular cultural festival "where creativity and technology fuse," attracts hundreds of professional and hobbyist photographers to West Palm Beach for five days of workshops, lectures, panel discussions, multimedia presentations, portfolio reviews, hands-on computer classes, demonstrations, and photo shoots taught by more than 60 world renowned photographers, digital imaging artists and picture editors. The festival's 2017 FOTOmentor Award will be presented to Albert Watson, whose iconic images and celebrity portraits lead to him being named "one of the 20 most influential photographers of all time" by Photo District News.

The Palm Beach Photographic Centre is located at the City Center municipal complex at 415 Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are 10 am to 6 pm Monday - Thursday; 10 am to 5 pm Friday and Saturday. For more information, call 561.253.2600 or visit www.workshop.org or www.fotofusion.org.

Pictured: Movie director Albert Hitchcock by Albert Watson, recipient of the prestigious FOTOmentor Award at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre's FOTOfusion 2016. (Photo Credit: Albert Watson)

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