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Photo by Joe Wallace. Poet Regie Gibson will visit Westwood High School at the end of April to mark National Poetry Month.
Thanks to Dr. Lynne Viti for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
Two poetry events in the Westwood Schools will mark National Poetry Month - two poetry writing workshops at Martha Jones Elementary School on Thursday, April 28, and a poetry reading/performance at Westwood High School on Friday, April 29. Both events are sponsored in part by a small grant that Westwood resident and poet Lynne Viti received last fall from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the local Westwood Cultural Council, to fund honoraria for the participating poets bringing their artistry into the schools.
Dr. Jenn Bogard, author of several poetry books for elementary school readers, will teach two mini workshops, one to Martha Jones third graders in the morning, and the second to third graders in the afternoon. Dr. Bogard will spend the lunch periods with small groups of students, fielding their questions about her books and her love of poetry. Dr. Bogard hopes that every student will come away from the workshops with an original poem for April 29, which the American Academy of Poets has designated "Poem in Your Pocket Day."
Among Dr. Bogard's books for children are The ABCs of Plum Island, Massachusetts, B is for Beach Plums, and C is for Clipper. Dr. Bogard is also the co-author of a book for educators, Writing is Magic, or Is It? and co-author of two books on integrating the arts into language arts and social studies curriculums.
Photo by Erin Moore, Mercy Street Studio. Dr. Jenn Bogard will lead poetry workshops for second and third grade students at Martha Jones School.Dr. Bogard is a lecturer in the Integrated Teaching Through the Arts and literacy programs at Lesley University, teaching The Language of Poetry and The Teaching of Writing K-12. For nearly two decades, she taught elementary school--grades one through five-- and was honored as Teacher of the Year as a first grade teacher. She is a former literacy coach and served on the Maine State Literacy Team. As a published author for Shell Education, Teacher Created Materials, and Penguin/Random House, she writes books, articles, and educator guides for teachers. Dr. Bogard has presented at professional organizations including the National Council of Teachers of English and the Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative.
To round out National Poetry Month, on Friday, April 30, the Westwood High School Library will welcome poet and poetry performer Mr. Regie Gibson, who will read and perform his poetry and field questions from students during an elective block.
Mr. Gibson performs regularly with Atlas Soul, a world music ensemble, and Shakespeare to Hip-Hop, an education and performance program that integrates classical and modern texts into English curriculums. He has served as a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts and for the Mere Distinction of Color exhibit at Montpelier, the historic home of James Madison, examining the legacy of slavery and the U.S. Constitution.
A popular lecturer at Clark University and head instructor for Mass Poetry 's Poets in Schools program, Mr. Gibson has lectured and performed in the United States, Cuba and Europe. He received both the Absolute Poetry Award in Monfalcone, Italy and the Europa in Versi Award in LaGuardia di Como. He has garnered multiple Mass Cultural Council Poetry Awards, is a Brother Thomas Fellow and has received two Live Arts Boston Grants to develop his first play, The Juke: A Blues Bacchae. Mr. Gibson is Poet-in-Residence of the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington & teaches for both Emerson College & Clark University.
