Durham Event

8pm. March 31, 2001
Center for Documentary Studies
1317 W. Pettigrew St.
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 660-3663
http://cds.aas.duke.edu

Directions

From Raleigh:
Take 40 West to the Durham Freeway (147). Take the Durham Freeway to Exit 14 (the sign will say "Swift Ave / Duke East Campus"). Turn right at the traffic light at the end of the exit ramp. Remain in the right lane for about 75 feet. Turn right at the first corner onto West Pettigrew Street (which will be before the railroad tracks.) We are in the second complex on the right-- two large white houses -- just past the red brick Hillhaven Convalescent Center. Parking is in the back.

From Chapel Hill:
Take 15-501 North to the exit for the Durham Freeway (147). Take the Durham Freeway to Exit 14 (the sign will say "Swift Avenue"). Turn left onto Swift Avenue at the stoplight at the end of the exit ramp. Go through one traffic light. Turn right at the first corner onto West Pettigrew Street (which will be before the railroad tracks.) We are the second complex on the right-- two large white houses-- just past the red brick Hillhaven Convalescent Center. Parking is in the back.

From Downtown Durham:
Take Main Street toward Duke's East Campus. Go to the end of the campus wall and turn left at the traffic light onto Swift Avenue (which would be Broad Street if you turned right). Cross the railroad tracks and make an immediate left onto West Pettigrew Street. We are the second complex on the right-- two large white houses--just past the red brick Hillhaven Convalescent Center. Parking is in the back.

From I-85:
Take the Gregson Street exit (exit 176A). You will be headed downtown. Make a right turn onto Main Street (Brightleaf Square will be on that corner). Take a left at the fourth traffic light onto Swift Avenue (Broad Street will be on your right). Cross the railroad tracks and make an immediate left onto West Pettigrew Street. We are in the second complex on the right-- two large white houses--just past the red brick Hillhaven Convalescent Center. Parking is in the back.

From Duke's West Campus:
by car: Take Campus Drive toward East Campus. Take a left onto Swift Avenue. Go through two traffic lights, and then immediately get in the right lane. Take a right onto West Pettigrew Street. We are in the second complex on the right-- two large white houses-- just past the red brick Hillhaven Convalescent Center. Parking is in the back.

by bus: Take the East/ West campus bus from the West Campus bus stop. Pull the cord immediately after passing under the first bridge. Cross the street and proceed toward the second bridge. You will see a small path going up the hill by the blue safety light and telephone. Follow the path. At the top of the hill, turn left onto Pettigrew Street. We are the first complex on the left-- two large white houses.

Dialogue Among Civilizations Through Poetry

Durham Poetry Reading in Conjunction with UN Event

On March 31st at 8pm, the United Nations poetry series and Carolina African American Writers’ Collective present a poetry reading at the Center for Documentary Studies in Durham, NC. The event is one of 240 UN supported readings in over 200 cities around the world. The Durham event features seven poets who explore the idea of civilization in their work. The featured poets are: Victor E. Blue, Beverly Fields Burnette, Christian A. Campbell, Howard Craft, Yvette Fannell, Kahlil Koromantee, and Mendi Lewis Obadike.

Bios:

Victor E. Blue is a doctoral student in the history department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A former journalist, blue teaches history at North Carolina Central University. He is the Public Relations Director and Membership Coordinator of the Carolina African American Writers' Collective. His poems, essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in the Independent, Raleigh News & Observer, Columbus Dispatch, Fertile Ground, Dark Eros, Catch the Fire, Obsidian II, and Black Issues in Higher Education. He performs regularly throughout the Triangle and also teaches writing in public schools, prisons, and community centers. His first volume of poems is scheduled to be released this fall. read his poem

Beverly Fields Burnette, a Rocky Mount, NC native, is a School Social Worker, poet, author, storyteller, who resides in Raleigh, NC. She is a 1968 Livingstone College (Salisbury, NC). Ms. Burnette finds innovative ways to include and combine her literary interests with the social work needs and services of children and families. Her poetic works appear in several nationally-distributed anthologies, including Catch the FIre!!! A Cross-Generational Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry, (Riverhead Books NY, 1998). She has also written and self-published a drug prevention activity/coloring book for K-5th graders entitled "KC Takes A Stand". Ms Burnette is a charter member of both The Carolina African American Writer's Collective and the NC Association of Black Storytellers. read her poem

Christian A. Campbell, of The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago, is a doctoral student in English at Duke University. His work has appeared in The Caribbean Writer, Atlanta Review, and Calabash, and is forthcoming in American Literature, Turtle Dreams: An Anthology of Bahamian Art and Writing, as well as other journals and anthologies. He is a member of the Bahamas Association for Cultural Studies (BACUS), the Carolina African American Writers' Collective (CAAWC), and a founding member of Four-Bean Stew. read his poem

Howard Craft is a poet, playwright, arts activist and educator, and a writer-in-residence with Spirithouse. read his poem

Yvette Fannell is originally from Queens, New York. She is a senior at Duke University studying English, Women's Studies, African and African American Studies. Currently, Yvette is working on a collection of poetry entitled, Vibia Perpetua: In the Face of Wild Animals. read her poem

Kahlil Koromantee i'm originally from harlem, ny. i was part of a theater group called the frank silvera workshop. i also did readings at the newyorican cafe, a black/puerto rican poetry theater. i am haitian-american (i prefer fugee), was raised in montreal and france. I'm also in the process of finishing my very first novel, and how i somehow got to winston-salem, i have no idea. i expect it's all fate and chance! read his poem

Mendi Lewis Obadike is a poet, media artist, and cultural critic. She is a member of Cave Canem and Carolina African American Writers’ Collective. Her writing has been featured in numerous publications, including Catch the Fire, The Black Arts Quarterly, and the film Take These Chains. In 2001, her work will appear in the anthology New Sister Voices, PoetryBay, and Collective Jukebox--a sound art exhibition currently touring Europe. Mendi is a doctoral student in Literature at Duke University where she has taught courses on sound and black identity, film sound, and black women's literature. Her dissertation examines 20th century African-American literature and sound theory. read her poem

for more information contact:

Mendi Lewis Obadike
mendi.lewis@duke.edu

or contact the UN coordinators:

Ram Devineni, Program Coordinator
1-212-723-4125 or devineni@dialoguepoetry.org
http://www.dialoguepoetry.org/

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