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D.C. Festively Kicks Off National Poetry Month

© Eugenia E. Gratto

As National Poetry Month kicks off in April, Washington D.C. will feature a block party dedicated to the spoken and written word. On Saturday, April 3, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will block off the street outside for "Taking Poetry to the Street," an all-day street festival featuring local poets, musicians and spoken word artists.

The free festival will feature radio talk show host Kojo Nanmdi and radio reporter Josephine Reed as masters of ceremonies, as well as many other local notables. D.C. Poet Laureate Dolores Kendrick, local poet E. Ethelbert Miller and Tree Swenson, executive director of the Academy of American Poets, will also speak and/or read poetry. In honor of his centenary, the poems of Pablo Neruda will be read in English and Spanish.

Sistah Joy, author of Lord, I'm Dancin' As Fast As I Can and founder of Collective Voices, will host a workshop for young children (ages 4 - 7) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., along with three other poets. Children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, neighbor's children are encouraged to attend with their parents for this family-fun-filled event! Mother Goose and Amelia Bedelia, popular children's characters, will also be on hand for the younger set.

For teens, there will be poetry slams and poetry writing workshops, and the D.C. Area Writing Project, a local site of the National Writing Project, will give out poetry awards to select high school students.

Don't miss local singer-songwriter and jazz singer Cynthia Lin, who will perform with a five-piece band from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will also be other musicians performing and plenty of local food vendors to keep your belly from making up a poem of its own.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 3 at the M.L.K. Jr. Library on G Street NW between 9th and 10th Streets. For more information, call 202-727-1111. And a special note: the cherry blossoms are in bloom and out in force at the moment, so if you're looking for an opportunity to see them this year, now's your chance. Consider combining a blossom tour with the poetry festival for a truly beautiful Saturday! You can also check out additional local music acts at the National Cherry Blossom Festival's Tidal Basin Stage. The festival runs through April 11, including a special fireworks show on April 10 at the Southwest Waterfront, and more information about events can be found at the National Cherry Blossom Festival's official web site.