In honor of National Poetry Month Art as an Agent for Change, Inc. hosted the 5th Annual Poetic Notions Poetry Festival April 13-14. The festival featured a Youth Poetry Slam (Friday) and a Performance Showcase (Saturday). The two day event is in its 5th year and A.A.C. will continue to the tradition by expanding the festival and increasing the scale and scope of the operation.
The Middle Georgia Youth Poetry Slam is the first of its kind in Middle Georgia and it was well received by its participants and spectators. A.A.C. Founder/Executive Director Paul Ayo started the program to encourage literacy and dialogue on community needs and solutions. The Slam is a part of an A.A.C. program called A.A.C. Youth Poetry Collectives. In the first year of operation A.A.C. had three Middle Georgia schools sign on including Baldwin County High School, Georgia College Early College, and Greene County High School. A.A.C. plans to start Poetry Collectives in other schools and hopes to have Youth Poetry Collectives in all Georgia High Schools.
The Poetic Notions Poetry Fest which took place Saturday April 14th is in its 5th year. The featured headliner was the Java Monkey Slam Team who is ranked #1 in the Southern Region Poetry Slam Competitions. Daryl Funn, Fit and Brian Patillo, made the journey from Atlanta to feature in the festival and delivered a hilariously, serious performance of “Chimp” proportions. Along with Java Monkey, A.A.C. assembled an amazing list of poets who share their inspiration, complexities, triumph, and journeys through life that A.A.C. believes should be the focal point of Art and is the means to create a better world.
The Poetic Notions Poetry Fest is A.A.C.’s longest running program and it will definitely return to Shut it Down April 2013.
SHUT IT DOWN!
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