ArtsFairfax and inaugural Fairfax Poet Laureate Nicole Tong invite you to celebrate the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Month. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff C. McKay kicked off the month by proclaiming April 2021 as Poetry Month in Fairfax County and read a poem written by local student Joon Won Lee.
ArtsFairfax continues celebrating poetry month each day in April and into May, releasing poems written by contemporary poets and read by 30 local residents as part of Ms. Tong’s community engagement project, Poetry Lives Here.
National Poetry Month, which takes place each April, is a celebration to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.
“Poetry gives us the means to see life in a myriad of perspectives. ArtsFairfax, Fairfax Poet Laureate Nicole Tong, and our Poet Laureate program encourage county residents and others to discover and enjoy poetry through these public readings and your personal reading. Together these 30 readings bring to life the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of living US poets, and most importantly reminds people that poetry and poets are all around us,” says Linda S. Sullivan, President & CEO, ArtsFairfax.
Look for a new video each day in April on ArtsFairfax.org. Follow ArtsFairfax on Facebook and Instagram and Ms. Tong on Twitter @PoetryLivesHere. Remember to share on social media @ArtsFairfax your favorite poet, poem, and reader using the hashtag: #NPMArtsFairfax.
April Poem Reader Schedule:
1st The Honorable Jeff McKay, Fairfax County Board of Supervisor Chairman
2nd Nicole Tong, Fairfax Poet Laureate
3rd Crys Matthews, Singer, Songwriter
4th Josephy Gueron, Radio Host
5th Jennifer Atkinson, Poet
6th Paul Vodra, Host/Producer of DC music podcast Hometown Sounds
7th Calista Garcia, Singer and Songwriter
8th Holly Mason, Poet
9th Jona Colston, Poet
10th Yana Nikol, Musician
11th The Honorable Gerry Connolly, U.S. House of Representatives
12th Holly Karapetkova, Poet Laureate, Arlington County, VA
13th David Ebenbach, Author
14th Yasmine Bolden, Poet
15th Peggy Fox, Media Relations, Dominion Energy
16th Meghan Trossen, Marketing, Capital One Center
17th Alison Kysia, Potter, Multimedia Artist
18th Rebecca Tax, Chef
19th Sara Ebba Hansen, Writer
20th Lynn Borton, Producer/host Choose to Be Curious
21st Scott Weaver, Poet
22nd Sally Keith. Poet, Professor George Mason University
23rd Guillermo Almada, arts lover
24th Megan Beyer, former Director, President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities
25th Sharon Fishel, ArtsReach Director, McLean Project for the Arts
26th Reggie Holmes, Owner/Creative Director, Enthuse Creative, LLC
27th Nancy Najarian, Clean Energy Advocate
28th Kevin Leong, Music Therapist
29th Nathan Carter, Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer, NOVA
30th The Honorable Sharon Bulova, former Board of Supervisor Chair
May 1st Holly Seen, Affiliation Certified Child Life Specialist, INOVA