National Endowment for the Arts  
News Room
 

National Endowment for the Arts Sponsors the Poetry Pavilion at the National Book Festival: Poetry Pavilion Featured by NEA for Third Year

September 15, 2005

 

Contact:
Garrick Davis
202-682-5551
davisg@arts.gov
 

Washington, D.C. - The National Endowment for the Arts will host the Poetry Pavilion at the National Book Festival on Saturday, September 24th. For the third straight year, poetry will be featured at the Book Festival and the Arts Endowment is pleased to sponsor its roster of artists, in partnership with Freddie Mac. The fifth annual National Book Festival, sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Mrs. Laura Bush, will be held on the National Mall between 7th and 14th Streets. The festival is free and open to the public.

The Poetry Pavilion will feature 13 poets reading from their collections and discussing their work. The poets come from across the country and represent diverse styles ranging from formal to free verse, from recognized masters to emerging artists. Presentations begin at 10:00 a.m. and continue through 5:00 p.m. (schedule and biographies are attached). The poets also will be available to sign books.

Arts Endowment Chairman Dana Gioia said, "As a poet, I am pleased to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the publication of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, since Whitman was not only a great poet of our nation but also of Washington, D.C." Chairman Gioia, an award-winning poet, will host the Poetry Pavilion and read selections of Walt Whitman's poetry at 12:45 p.m.

The schedule for the Poetry Pavilion is:

10:00 – 10:30:

Dolores Kendrick

10:30 – 11:00:

Kim Addonizio

11:00 – 11:30:

Andrew Hudgins

11:30 – 12:00:

Marisa de los Santos

12:00 – 12:45:

Donald Hall

12:45 – 1:30:

Walt Whitman Celebration, with Dana Gioia and Donald Hall

1:30 – 2:00:

Alice Fulton

2:00 – 2:30:

Samuel Menashe

2:30 – 3:00:

David Kirby

3:00 – 3:30:

Mary Jo Salter

3:30 – 4:00:

Christian Wiman

4:00 – 4:30

A. E. Stallings

4:30 – 5:00:

Al Young

Please see author biographies.

For more information on the National Book Festival, go to http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

Freddie Mac is a stockholder-owned company established by Congress in 1970 to support homeownership and rental housing. Over the years, Freddie Mac has made home possible for one in six homebuyers and nearly four million renters in America. As one of the largest corporate funders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Freddie Mac and the Freddie Mac Foundation have invested nearly $250 million in nonprofits serving the community.

Return to News Index


Privacy Policy          Important Notices          Contact Us          USA.gov