Poet Norman Jordan to headline African-American Literature Celebration

Poet Norman Jordan to headline African-American Literature Celebration

The 2014 African-American Literature Celebration, held in the Norman L. Fagan Theater in the Culture Center, Capitol Complex, on Friday, February 7, 2014, 6:00–7:30 PM, will feature Norman Jordan, an internationally published poet and West Virginia’s most-published African-American poet. Jordan’s poetry has been anthologized in 41 books, the most recent being Make a Joyful Sound: Poems for Children by African-American Poets, In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of African-American Poetry and Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty Years of West Virginia Poetry 1950-1999.

Jordan, co-founder and director of the African American Heritage Family Tree Museum in Ansted and president of the West Virginia African American Arts and Heritage Academy, will read his poems and discuss the Black Arts Movement, his self-publishing experiences and the art form of “Stick Poetry.” He will also talk about one-time Fayette County resident Carter G. Woodson and his significance to Black History Month.
Affrilachian poet and Charleston resident Crystal Good will join Jordan and share her poetry with the audience. West Virginia author and filmmaker Danny Boyd will attend the reading as well.

A reception in the West Virginia Library Commission’s J.D. Waggoner Reading Room will follow the event. Books by Jordan, Crystal Good and Danny Boyd will be available for sale and the authors will be available for autographs.

The African-American Literature Celebration is held each February as part of Black History Month. The event is sponsored by the West Virginia Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and a project of the West Virginia Library Commission in partnership with the West Virginia Humanities Council. The West Virginia Center for the Book promotes the importance of books and reading and highlights the state’s unique literary heritage, from its earliest storytellers to modern novelists and poets.

The West Virginia Library Commission serves the people of West Virginia and encourages lifelong learning, individual empowerment, civic engagement and an enriched quality of life by enhancing library and information services for all West Virginians. More information is available at www.librarycommission.wv.gov.