Saturday, April 13th, 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm, FREE

The Jamestown Arts Center & the Friends of the Jamestown Philomenian Library celebrate Poetry Month!
The program starts at 6 PM in the JPL Meeting Room with readings from ambassadors from the Rhode Island Youth Poetry Initiative.
Outgoing ambassador Cleo Sincere will read her work along with new ambassadors Katherine Sawosksi and Tyler Cordeiro.
Following the library readings and a poetry-guided walk across the street to the Jamestown Arts Center, poets Jen McClanaghan and Afua Ansang will share their stunning work.
The evening winds up with a performance by hip hop artist Vega and refreshments.
This one-of-a-kind collaboration offers an evening of rich and talented voices celebrating the beauty of the spoken word.

JAMESTOWN PHILOMENIAN LIBRARY POETS:

Kleo Sincere is an 18-year-old artist from Providence, Rhode Island. She is a screen printer, photographer, singer and writes everything from poetry to articles. Focusing on themes of taboo and nonconformity, she seeks answers to questions some fear to ask. Kleo was the 2017 and 2018 Youth Grand Slam champion, representing Providence at Brave New Voices, and has recently been awarded the 2019 Youth Grand Slam Champion. In 2017, she was a winner of the “Write! Rhode Island” short story competition, and was published in an anthology. She has been featured in The Providence Journal, Motif Magazine, and Options Magazine. She is now writing for Motif Magazine, and in 2018, she was awarded the title of  Deputy Youth Poetry Advocate of Rhode Island.

Catherine Sawoski, A Youth Poetry Ambassador of Rhode Island, is a junior at the Wheeler School who is fiercely passionate about writing and literature. She finds inspiration in the work of such writers as Frank O’Hara and Wallace Stevens, developing a philosophy of poetry that she aims to instill in students through her continuous readings and workshops around the state. Fundamentally, she believes that poetry is a part of our shared language and all we have to do is recognize the beautiful poems waiting to be found all around us. In her free time, Catherine is active in politics in Rhode Island, serving as a member of various political organizations around the state and advocating for youth involvement on Smith Hill. She and her family (including her golden doodle, Amber) live in Little Compton, RI. 

Tyler Cordeiro is a 16-year-old junior at Lasalle Academy. He enjoys writing poetry about his own experiences connected to the LGBTQ
community, mental health issues, and other marginalized people and groups. He has published a book of poetry called Salt Water Roses, which has spent some time on the bestseller list for LGBTQ writing at Amazon. Tyler continues to share his voice with the community through poetry slams at AS220 and other events., and continues to love cats, especially his big Maine Coon, Artemis.

JAC PERFORMERS:

Afua Ansong is a Ghanaian American teaching artist and scholar, specializing in poetry, contemporary West African Dance and photography. Her research focuses on the representation of African female subjectivities in literature. She has received fellowships from Breadloaf and BMC. Her work can be seen in Prairie Schooner, Frontier Poetry, Kalahari Review and on her website www.afuansong.com . Her chapbook American Mercy is out with Finishing Line Press.

Vega, 26, is a Dominican-American Hip Hop and R&B artist. Born in New York, NY, Vega spent the early days of his life living in the Bronx and Washington Heights. At the start of his teenage years his family moved to Providence, RI, or Prov City as he calls it, where he fully engaged his passions for music and writing. Wrapped in the music culture since birth, born the son of a New York DJ, Vega has worked in many aspects of the business. As an artist, Vega delivers an introspective style of hip hop spiced with emotional undertones, powerful context, and atmospheric sounds.

Jen McClanaghan grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. She earned her undergraduate degree from Antioch College then moved to New York City where she worked in publishing for seven years, including a job as a photo editor for the National Audubon Society Field Guides. She graduated from Columbia University with an MFA (2004) and Florida State University with a PhD (2009). As a resident scholar at The Southern Review,, she edited the Spring 2010 Americana issue and taught in LSU’s English department. Currently she’s an Assistant
Professor and Writer-in-Residence at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.