Louisiana Center for the Book presents 13th Annual National Poetry Month program
BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana will celebrate National Poetry Month in April with “Just Listen to Yourself: Louisiana’s Poet Laureate Presents Louisiana Poets.” Louisiana Poet Laureate Mona Lisa Saloy will host the event, now in its thirteenth year.
Saloy has invited nine poets from across the state to read their work. Participants are Ashanti Anderson, Hasan Atkins, Jack B. Bedell, Emmory Bridges, Ariel Francisco, Antira Jackson, Antione Lacey, Sha’Condria Sices-Sibley, and Samia White.
This free, in-person event will be held in the first-floor Seminar Center of the State Library in Baton Rouge on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at noon. The State Library of Louisiana is located at 701 North 4th Street in Baton Rouge, LA.
“Louisiana’s culture is rich with an outstanding literary heritage. This event features a great mix of established and rising poets from throughout our state,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Louisiana Poet Laureate Mona Lisa Saloy has done a phenomenal job presenting this reading with some of the best talent our state has to offer. We are excited to welcome them to this year’s celebration of poetry.”
“What a thrill to welcome another group of fine poets to the Louisiana Center for the Book in the Louisiana State Library to celebrate National Poetry Month,” said Louisiana Poet Laureate Mona Lisa Saloy. “We continue the long-standing tradition of the ‘Just Listen to Yourself’ program begun by our beloved Darrell Bourque, our forever Louisiana poet laureate.”
Copies of books by participants will be available for purchase at the program.
Attendees may bring their own lunch and come and go as their schedules allow. The State Library of Louisiana is wheelchair accessible.
The Louisiana Center for the Book, established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994 for the purpose of stimulating public interest in reading, books, literacy, and libraries and celebrating Louisiana’s rich literary heritage, is the state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. For more information, please visit www.LouisianaBookFestival.org and follow us on Facebook.
