Poetry reading on Friday at City Hall

This just in from the Poets & Writers League of Greater Cleveland:

When: Friday August 11, 2006 at noon
Where: The Rotunda of City Hall
What: Poetry Reading by local poets
Who: Marcus BALES
George BILGERE
Kisha FOSTER
Nina GIBANS
Jack MCGUANE
Cindy WASHABAUGH

The Mayor´s Committee on Art in the Rotunda announces a poetry reading on FRIDAY AUGUST 11 at Noon, in the Rotunda at City Hall, which is the big interior space in City Hall, at E 6th and Lakeside, beside Claes Oldenburg´s "FREE" stamp sculpture. Bring a photo ID with you to get into City Hall.

The event will last approximately one hour. Each poet will read a few of their best-known poems.

Marcus Bales is the winner of the 2001 Ohio Writer Poetry Contest; his poems have appeared in Salt River Review, the Melic Review, The Pedestal Magazine, The City Poetry Magazine, Snakeskin, but never in The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, or Poetry.

George Bilgere is the 2003 winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize in Literature, and the 2006 winner of the Ohioana Poetry Award. His new book, _Haywire_, won the 2006 May Swenson Poetry Award. He's the host of Wordplay, a radio show devoted to the Cleveland poetry scene. It airs every Wednesday on WJCU, 88.7, at 12:30 in the afternoon.

Kisha Foster is a junior at Cleveland State University who started her career as poet at19 and after six years of hard work, Foster is performing with increased comfort coworker and mentor Rafeeq Washington. Foster has been performing across the country and was recently honored by having one of her poems performed at the PWLGC "Writers and Their Friends" biennial celebration of the Cleveland writing community.

Nina Gibans is a lifelong resident of northeast Ohio. She has worked for cultural organizations in volunteer and professional capacities her entire career and has served on numerous civic and cultural boards of trustees. Her degree is in art history and aesthetics.

Jack McGuane is Poet Laureate of Lakewood, and widely known for his outspoken poems and adeptness with apparently simple language that gets memorably under your skin and into your head.

Cindy Washabaugh is a faculty member in Cleveland State's creative writing program.

Introduction of the Event by the Mayor´s aide, Melaina Kampf

Marcus Bales will read Ray McNiece's poem "Love song to Cleveland", which Ray gave to Mayor Jackson at the Ingenuity Festival; and will introduce each poet

Reading order:

Jack McGuane
Cindy Washabaugh
Kisha Foster
Nina Gibans
George Bilgere

concluding remarks by Melaina Kampf.