Every two years, Newark transforms into a city of poets. Thousands of musicians, artists, spectators and, yes, traditional poets gather at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and nearby venues for three days of performances, panels and activities.
The largest poetry event in the country, the Dodge Poetry Festival is a biennial (every other year) festival established in 1986 by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, a 50-year-old nonprofit that fights for an equitable and socially just New Jersey. Since 2010, NJPAC has been the festival’s home base, and this past winter, Dodge expanded its partnership with the center through a $1.7 million grant, allowing NJPAC to offer year-round poetry programming and enhancements at the festival.
At the 20th festival, from Thursday, October 17 through Saturday, October 19, popular poets and artists–including Joan Baez, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Javon Jackson and Christian McBride—plus emerging and mid-career poets—will perform and share insight on their own work.
“We’re expanding the definition of poetry and spoken word, particularly as it relates to social justice and racial healing,” says David Rodriguez, NJPAC’s executive producer. “We want this to be every person’s festival.” The festival will include songwriting and collaborations between poetry and jazz, dance and hip-hop.
A festival first will be a free, outdoor family-fun day at Military Park on Saturday. Tickets can be purchased online.
[RELATED: Ridgewood Publishing Exec Writes Poetry on NJ Transit]
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