NC Poet Laureate coming to Lexington
Lexington – Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, will present a reading of her poetry, April 5, 2022, at 7 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of First Baptist Church, 201 W. 3rd Ave., Lexington, N.C. The event is free and open to the public and sponsored by Friends of the Lexington Library.
Jaki Shelton Green is the first African American and third woman to be appointed as the North Carolina Poet Laureate. She was reappointed in 2021 for a second term by Governor Roy Cooper. She is a 2019 Academy of American Poet Laureate Fellow, 2014 NC Literary Hall of Fame Inductee, 2009 NC Piedmont Laureate appointment, and a 2003 recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature. Green teaches Documentary Poetry at Duke University Center for Documentary Studies and is the 2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer in Residence at UNC Chapel Hill. Additionally, she received the George School Outstanding Alumni Award in 2021.
Green’s publications include: Dead on Arrival, Masks, Dead on Arrival and New Poems, Conjure Blues, singing a tree into dance, breath of the song, published by Blair Publishers; Feeding the Light, i want to undie you published by Jacar Press; and i want to undie you English /Italian bilingual edition published by Lebeg Publishers. Juneteenth 2020, she released her first LP, poetry album, The River Speaks of Thirst, produced by Soul City Sounds and Clearly Records, and released a CD, i want to undie you in 2021. Jaki Shelton Green is the owner of SistaWRITE providing writing retreats for women writers in Sedona, Arizona; Martha’s Vineyard; Ocracoke, North Carolina; Northern Morocco, and Tullamore, Ireland. In 2021, The Arts Club of Chicago premiered a commissioned body of work in collaboration with Flutronix for the Black Is Series. In April 2022, the poem will be performed by Flutronix and the Cincinnati Symphony Orhestra.
Green will be facilitating a writing workshop for 6-8 graders at North Davidson Middle School during her visit to Lexington. There will be a book signing at the conclusion of the evening’s event. Books will be available for sale.
