Wednesday

Sherman Alexie‘s newest collection of poems, Face, has just been published by Hanging Loose Press. He has a new young adult novel coming from Little, Brown this spring (his last one, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, won the National Book Award ) and a new book of stories from Grove/Atlantic in the fall. He’s published over 20 books altogether. The New York Times said of his very first book, The Business of Fancydancing: “Mr. Alexie’s is one of the major lyric voices of our time.” He lives in Seattle with his wife, Diane Tomhave, and their two sons. Jayne Cortez is the author of eleven books of poetry and performer of her poems with music on nine recordings. Her voice is celebrated for its political, surrealistic, dynamic innovations in lyricism, and visceral sound. Cortez has presented her work and ideas at universities, museums, and festivals around the world. Her poems have been translated into many languages and widely published in anthologies, journals, and magazines. She is a recipient of several awards including: Arts International, the National Endowment for the Arts, the International African Festival Award. The Langston Hughes Medal, The American Book Award, and the Thelma McAndless Distinguished Professorship Award. Her most recent books are On the Imperial Highway: New and Selected Poems (Hanging Loose Press), The Beautiful Book (Bola Press) and Jazz Fan Looks Back (Hanging Loose Press). Her latest CDs with the Firespitter Band are Find Your Own Voice, Borders of Disorderly Time (Bola Press), Taking the Blues Back Home, produced by Harmolodic and by Verve Records. Cortez is organizer of the international symposium “Slave Routes: Resistance, Abolition & Creative Progress” (NYU) and director of the film Yari Yari Pamberi: Black Women Writers Dissecting Globalization. She is co-founder and president of the Organization of Women Writers of Africa, Inc., and can be seen on screen in the films Women In Jazz and Poetry In Motion.

* This event will be held in the Sanctuary of St. Mark’s Church.