Announcing: WIW The Year of the Woman Poet

“Women Influence Words, the Year of the Woman Poet” — a community-wide project made possible through the National Endowment for the Arts BIG READ program and a generous grant from the Erb Family Foundation.

Designed to build literary readership among youth and the general public, the BIG READ will bring the poetic genius of Emily Dickinson to schools, libraries and community settings across Detroit. The year’s calendar is as follows. Asterisks indicate BIG READ programming. Please call 313-965-5332 for dates, times, further details.

  • **Conversations about Dickinson with nationally awarded poets: October 29, 2010 with Marilyn Nelson; December 10, 2010, with Edward Hirsch. Detroit Public Library’s Main Branch 3:30-5:00 p.m.
  • **Emily’s Voices – professional development for K-12 writing teachers. Wayne State University, October 30, 2010 10a.m.-3p.m. SBCEU credits through Wayne RESA.
  • **Emily’s Birthday — Center Galleries, College for Creative Studies, December 10, 2010, 7p.m., featuring the premier of a Dickinson Song Cycle by singer-songwriter Blair.
  • **“Wider than the Sky” — Keynote Speech, March 23, 2011, Detroit Public Library Main Branch with scholar Jane Eberwein, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Oakland University.
  • National Poetry Month Women’s Poetry Exhibit, Detroit Public Library, April 2011
  • Guest visits by Wayne State University Press women poets in InsideOut classrooms through Detroit Public Schools.
  • Scratch the Page: Citywide Poets Performances and Workshop Series, Virgil H. Carr Center with Vievee Francis, Crystal Williams and other WSU Press women poets.
  • **Multi-genre youth arts programming through the Virgil H. Carr Center, Detroit Public Library Teen H.Y.P.E. Center, and Matrix Theatre’s Ghost Waters project. Guest artists include Blair, Jessica Care Moore, and others.
  • **Youth poetry videos created by John Wood’s students at Detroit School for the Arts and broadcast on Channel 56.