Peace Center Announces 2017-18 Peace Voices Program

The Peace Center's 2017-2018 Peace Voices program features Poetic Conversations, master classes with visiting artists, teen and adult workshops, community readings and a poetry slam. With Poet-in-Residence Glenis Redmond at the helm, attendees are encouraged to tell unique personal stories, have important conversations and develop written and verbal skills. Peace Voices events are FREE.

Poetic Conversations bring together guest poets to share their work on a common topic and start a poetic dialogue with audiences.

Listen/Escucha: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

Featuring Vera Gomez with Mariam Estrada, ELena Cruz and Virgilio Sebastian

Thursday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m. in the Huguenot Loft

A first generation child of immigrants, Vera Gomez will be joined by the Peace Center's Peace Voices poets - ELena Cruz (Fine Arts Center), Mariam Estrada (Greenville High graduate) and Virgilio Sebastian (Greenville High graduate) - for an evening of poetry that uplifts and encourages.

Palmetto Poets: Speaking of the South

Featuring DéLana Dameron, Ray McManus and Ed Madden

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the Huguenot Loft

This trio may come from different walks of life, but each has much to say about the South. Delana Dameron is the winner of the South Carolina Book Prize, Ray McManus is a professor at the University of South Carolina Sumter, and Ed Madden is a professor at the University of South Carolina and the Poet Laureate of Columbia, S.C.

Pictures & Words: Motionpoems Highlights Black Poetry

Featuring Todd Boss, Irving Hillman and Glenis Redmond

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the Gunter Theatre

Todd Boss is the co-founder and artistic director of Motionpoems, which takes contemporary poetry and turns it into beautiful short films. Peace Center Poet-in-Residence Glenis Redmond's poem "The Tao of the Black Plastic Comb" is part of the latest installment of Motionpoems, which partnered with the foundation Cave Canem to feature African American poetry.

This Poetic Conversation will feature a screening of 11 Motionpoems' films, followed by a discussion with Boss, Redmond and film producer Irving Hillman.

Women Witnessing the World Through Words

Featuring Patricia Starek and Sabrina Hayeem-Ladani

Thursday, March 29, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the Huguenot Loft

Attendees will be transformed by the poetic alchemy of Patricia Starek, a reading specialist with Houghton Mifflin, and Sabrina Hayeem-Ladani, a widely-published poet and multi-genre performer. When women speak of what they have witnessed, mountains metaphorically move.

For Poetry's Sake: Celebrating National Poetry Month

Featuring Cheryl Boyce Taylor and Marcus Amaker

Thursday, April 26, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the Huguenot Loft

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Peace Voices presents Cheryl Boyce Taylor and Marcus Amaker. Taylor is an acclaimed poet who won the 2015 Barnes and Noble Writers for Writers Award. Amaker is the Poet Laureate of Charleston, S.C., and has been featured on TEDx, PBS NewsHour, and the Huffington Post.

Poetry with Pride: Celebrating Pride Month

Featuring Andrea Gibson and Danez Smith

Thursday, June 28, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in the Huguenot Loft

Andrea Gibson and Danez Smith take the stage to confront some of the issues faced by the LGBTQ community. Gibson balances themes of love, gender, politics, sexuality, illness and forgiveness. A 2017 National Endowment of the Arts Fellow, Smith is a black, queer writer and performer whose work has been featured on Buzzfeed, PBS NewsHour and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Teen Workshops are led by Redmond and offer a space for teens to come together to write and express themselves creatively. Teens participating in the workshops will be invited to share their work in poetry readings, perform in a poetry slam and attend master classes with guest artists throughout the year.

Saturday, Oct. 7, 1-3:30 p.m. in Ramsaur Studio

Saturday, Nov. 4, 1-3:30 p.m. in Ramsaur Studio

Master Classes give teens from the workshop series an opportunity to dig deeper into the nuts and bolts of the poetic process. Visiting poets will share pieces, dissect their own work and hold an open forum. Participants are encouraged to ask questions about their own poems. Master Classes are held in Ramsaur Studio and the public is invited to observe.

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., with guest poets DéLana Dameron, Ray McManus and Ed Madden

Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., with guest poets Todd Boss and Irving Hillman

Saturday, March 3, 2018, at 1 p.m., with David Gonzalez

Thursday, April 26, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., with Marcus Amaker

Thursday, June 28, 2018, at 4:30 p.m., with Andrea Gibson and Danez Smith

Adult Workshops span a series of days and ask participants to mine their own personal histories as Redmond takes them through a variety of styles and all stages of the writing process, with the theme "Poetry as Memoir."

Fall session - Sept. 5, 12 and 19 (Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Spring session - April 5, 12 and 19, 2018 (Thursdays, 6:30-8:30 p.m.)

Public Events

Teen Poetry Reading

Monday, Dec. 18, at 5:30 p.m. in Ramsaur Studio

Teens who participated in the workshops will share their work.

Community Poetry Reading

Wednesday, May 23, 2018, at 5:30 p.m. in the Gunter Theatre

Teens and adults - selected from the year's workshops - will read their creations publically.

Poetry Slam

Saturday, June 9, 2018, at 1 p.m. in the Gunter Theatre

High school poets from around the Upstate will compete in a public poetry slam, where the audience members become the judges.

Visit http://www.peacecenter.org/community-engagement/peacevoices for the latest Peace Voices news.

Peace Voices events are free, but registration is required by calling 864.467.3000 or 800.888.7768, in person at the Peace Center Box Office or online at www.peacecenter.org.

For more information about the Peace Center and its upcoming events, visit www.peacecenter.org.

A special thank you to Peace Voices supporters The Jolley Foundation and Michelin North America.

Poetry with Pride is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

Palmetto Poets is funded in part by SC Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Events, dates, times, prices and performers are subject to change without notice.

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