Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center presents the 14th annual Giving Voice performance on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. in the Kent Student Center Ballroom featuring original poetry by local students (grades 3-12), international scholars, and Kent State University undergraduates.
This year’s performance is part of the Presidential Inauguration Week. President Beverly Warren will participate in the performance by reading her original poem, “Praise Song for Kent State.” Additionally, local children from the Holden Elementary Writer’s Club will read a group poem, "The Torch," in honor of President Warren’s Inauguration.
The Holden Elementary Writer’s Club met with President Warren in early March on the Kent State campus to share their individual inauguration poems with her and to hear the President read her poem.
“It was an exciting intergenerational conversation between town and gown through the intimate and inclusive voice of poetry,” says David Hassler, director of the Wick Poetry Center. “We are thrilled to have President Warren’s creative involvement in this year’s Giving Voice.”
“Giving Voice allows all in attendance to hear the wisdom that shines through the poetry of youth from our community, KSU students, and international scholars. Every poem shared began silently on the page, and after the Giving Voice those poems have been heard, and will change the lives of both the poets and the attendees,” says Nicole Robinson, outreach manager for the Wick Poetry Center.
The Giving Voice performance showcases material created in the Wick Poetry Center’s outreach programs. These workshops are led by Kent State undergraduates enrolled in the service-learning course, “Teaching Poetry in the Schools.”
The event is free and open to the public.