THIS FEBRUARY, JOIN ONE BOOK ONE BRONX AND THE LEHMAN COLLEGE LIBRARY FOR A NATIONWIDE CELEBRATION OF 250 YEARS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY

One Book One Bronx, in collaboration with the Leonard Lief Library at Lehman College, City University of New York, will host a series of eclectic programs and reading groups as part of a nation-wide initiative, Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters.  Lift Every Voice is a yearlong national public humanities initiative sponsored by the Library of America and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture that seeks to engage participants in a multifaceted exploration of African American poetry, the perspectives it offers on American history and the on-going struggle for racial justice, and the universality of its imaginative response to the personal experiences of Black Americans over three centuries. Details and a listing of related events can be found at: https://www.africanamericanpoetry.org

The One Book One Bronx/Lehman College collaboration will bring audiences closer to the intersection of Black language and music. Programs will focus on The Last Poets, Sun Ra, and Audre Lorde, among others, and will include a lecture by poet and scholar Tara Betts on African American poetry and music. The series will culminate with a performance by Pulitzer Prize Winner Tyehimba Jess from his book Olio.