Point of Contact to present poetry reading ‘Cruel April’ April 21 at Point of Contact Gallery

Point of Contact to present poetry reading ‘Cruel April’ April 21 at Point of Contact GalleryApril 17, 2006Jaime Winne Alvarezjlwinne@syr.edu

In recognition of National Poetry Month, Point of Contact, in collaboration with the Syracuse University Bookstore and the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics in The College of Arts and Sciences, will host “Cruel April,” a poetry reading of nine voices. The reading will take place April 21 at 5 p.m. at Point of Contact Gallery, 914 E. Genesee St., and will be followed by a reception with the poets at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Featured poets include Estrella del Valle, Joyce Hayden, Michael Jennings, Christopher Kennedy, Edgar Paiewonsky-Conde, Anthony Seidman, Suzanne Shane and Bruce Smith, with musical poetry by Colleen Kattau. Both Kennedy and Smith are members of the SU faculty — Kennedy directs the M.F.A. program in creative writing, and Smith teaches in the graduate writing program.

Books by the authors will be available for purchase and signing at the event. Among the books available will be “Corresponding Voices,” the two-volume poetry series published by Point of Contact and distributed by Syracuse University Press, which features a collective of works by some of the poets featured at the reading.

Point of Contact, an independent, nonprofit organization, is housed on the SU campus and dedicated to the exploration of the verbal and visual arts. Point of Contact produces various literary publications and artistic events, including the Syracuse International Film and Video Festival, international art exhibits, music and theater events, academic symposia, poetry readings and cross-cultural exchanges.

For more information on “Cruel April,” contact Tere Paniagua at (315) 443-2169, 443-5497 or tpaniagu@syr.edu.