Residents of Washington, D.C. are invited to celebrate National Poetry
Month with the District of Columbia Public Library at "Poetry Fest 2007"
on Saturday, April 28. The poetry festival will be held from 11:00 am
to 4:00 pm at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library and will
offer a host of fun poetry-related activities for children, teens and
adults. Festivities will take place both in the Great Hall and outside
the main entrance of the Library, which is located at 901 G Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. Nationally renowned former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky
will give a special reading at 2:30 pm, followed by a book signing.

PoetryFest 2007 brings poetry off the bookshelves and onto the streets
through a variety of activities and readings designed for all ages.
Children will enjoy a visit from Mother Goose, sing-alongs and book
giveaways, while teenagers can share their own poetry by participating
in poetry slams. For adults, local poets will present readings of their
poems, and two actors in Elizabethan costumes will read Shakespearean
sonnets accompanied by lute.

The event will be emceed by Kenneth Carroll, Director of WritersCorps.
Other special guests will include Chief Librarian Ginnie Cooper; Wendy
Rieger, co-anchor at News4 and honorary chair of PoetryFest 2007; local
poet Ethelbert Miller; Brian Gilmore, D.J. Renegade and Brandon Johnson,
Cave Canem poets; Lee Briccetti, poet and director of Poets House in New
York City; and the Percy Smith Jazz Trio.

PoetryFest 2007 is made possible by the generous support of the D.C.
Public Library Foundation and the Federation of Friends for the D.C.
Public Library.

Kristen Barden

Ward 3 Outreach Coordinator

Mayor's Office of Community Relations and Services

Executive Offfice of the Mayor

202-727-2287 office

202-727-5931 fax

John A. Wilson Building

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 211

Washington, DC 20004