Westchester Poetry Festival Tackles Topics of Social Justice
Poetry is often seen as an underrepresented artistic discipline that bares a stigma of not being relatable. Hudson Valley Writers’ Center (HVWC) and The Masters School aim to change that perception this month. For the first time in its 8 years the annual Westchester Poetry Festival, which appropriately takes place during National Poetry Month, will have a theme: poetry of social justice. The two groups are partnering with the goal of broadening audiences beyond their “regulars,” and engaging high school and college students with relevant, poignant works of poetry that speak to their own lives. According to HVWC Program Director Jennifer Franklin, this theme “seemed particularly salient given today’s climate and the way that generation Z, including the Parkland students, are affecting important social change.”
The four-hour celebration of poetry on April 21 will showcase keynote reader Reginald Dwayne Betts, along with four other acclaimed poets: Chris Campanioni, Andrés Cerpa, Nicole Sealey and Anya Krugovoy Silver. Each author was invited to address the theme of social change in a way that was pertinent to their body of work.
The afternoon also includes readings from Masters School students and a Q&A about social justice in literature. The event takes place at Estherwood Mansion on The Masters School campus in Dobbs Ferry. For more info, visit writerscenter.org.
A version of this article first appeared in the April issue of ArtsNews, ArtsWestchester’s monthly publication. ArtsNews is distributed throughout Westchester County. A digital copy is also available at artsw.org/artsnews.
