by Staff
The West Hollywood City Council will officially proclaim April as National Poetry Month as part of its regular meeting on Monday April 3, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in the City of West Hollywood’s City Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room at West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
Kim Dower/Photo credit: kimdower.comWest Hollywood City Poet Laureate Kim Dower will be in attendance to receive the proclamation and will officially release the new collaborative poem, “I Sing the Body West Hollywood,” which she will read. Dower created the poem by collecting lines from residents and visitors around the City, in person and via suggestion boxes at City Hall and the West Hollywood Library, and weaving them together in an homage to the classic Walt Whitman poem, “I Sing the Body Electric.”
Attendance is free, and validated parking will be available for the adjacent five-story parking structure.
Throughout April, the City of West Hollywood, through WeHo Arts, will celebrate National Poetry Month with events, readings, a writing workshop, and more, curated by West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Kim Dower.
Banners featuring lines of verse from celebrated poets will be displayed on lampposts on Santa Monica and San Vicente Boulevards. Two new banners featuring poets selected by Dower, Erica Jong, and Richard Blanco, will join those selected by former West Hollywood City Poet Steven Reigns.
In addition, posters featuring Dower’s new collaborative poem, weaved together from lines submitted by residents and visitors to West Hollywood, “I Sing the Body West Hollywood,” will be displayed throughout the City.
Posters will be distributed for free at the West Hollywood Library, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, and at West Hollywood City Hall, located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard.
Here is a list of the Events and Readings Throughout April:
As Far as the Eye Can See — Sunset Strip Through the Eyes of Poets, April 6
The City of West Hollywood, through WeHo Arts, presents a celebration of the Sunset Strip folk era, As Far as the Eye Can See — Sunset Strip Through the Eyes of Poets, on Thursday, April 6, 2017 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, Upper Level.
Celebrate National Poetry Month by experiencing a unique and memorable trip down the historic Sunset Strip as various poets read from both original works and works by poets who captured the era.
Organized by Kim Dower, West Hollywood City Poet Laureate, the event is part of the There’s Something Happening Here… commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Sunset Strip curfew riots and the counterculture era in West Hollywood. For more information about this and other exhibits and events that are part of the commemorative programming, a downloadable brochure and map of historic locations, and links to music, books, and film is available at www.weho.org/residents/sunsetstrip1966.
For more information and to reserve a spot, please visit www.bit.ly/April6SunsetPoets, or contact Michael Che, Arts Coordinator, at (323) 848-6377, or [email protected].
Senior Poetry Writing Workshop, April 17
West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Kim Dower will lead a free Senior Poetry Writing Workshop on Monday, April 17, 2017 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Community Center at Plummer Park, located at 7377 Santa Monica Boulevard, in Room 5.
This fun and informative poetry workshop, which is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood through WeHo Arts as part of its Poetry Month programming, will offer an intimate writing experience filled with ideas and exercises, including writing to prompts, dreams, and memories — all with the goal of awakening the poet within.
No previous writing experience is necessary and RSVPs are not required.
For more information, please contact Corey Roskin at [email protected].
1st Annual LA Get Down Festival Celebrates Hip Hop and Spoken Word Poetry, April 18 through 30
Greenway Arts Alliance, in association with Da Poetry Lounge, announces a new annual poetry festival to celebrate hip hop and spoken word, the LA Get Down Festival, which coincides with National Poetry Month and features 13 days of spoken-word performances, workshops, and more.
The festival, which is sponsored by the City of West Hollywood through WeHo Arts, takes place from Tuesday, April 18, 2017 through Sunday, April 30, 2017 at the Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., in Los Angeles.
LA Get Down will celebrate the power of the spoken word with a diverse collection of locally and nationally acclaimed artists, with showcases dedicated to women, youth, the voices of the LGBTQIA community and more.
Tickets range from $10 to $20. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit http://www.greenwaycourttheatre.org/tickets.
For more information on National Poetry Month activities in West Hollywood, please visit www.weho.org/residents/poetry-month, or contact Mike Che, Arts Coordinator, at [email protected].
