Six Female Poets for Women's History Month @ MDC

Miami Dade College’s (MDC) InterAmerican Campus honors the female spirit with Women’s Voices: Celebrating Life and Love on Saturday, Mar. 15, at 7 p.m. as part of Women’s History Month. The event includes poetry readings by six talented women sharing their viewpoints from various stages of life at the Tower Theater in Little Havana. These women are accomplished artists, writers, and community activists.

Women’s Voices: Celebrating Life and Love is presented with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.

FEATURED POETS:

Amy Baez is the author and publisher of What Poetic Eyes Speak, which has been promoted nationally at more than 50 feature performances and poetry workshops. The New Jersey native has been writing poetry for more than 20 years and has been described as honest, powerful, passionate, and uplifting. She writes what young women feel but rarely say out loud. In addition to writing, Baez has also acted in several community theatre productions locally and works full-time as a pediatric occupational therapist. Last year, she shared the stage with playwright Eve Ensler in the Miami production of Any One of Us: Words from Prison.

Jackie Earley began her career in dance, theater, and poetry during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's. She has worked with the Karamu Theater, the Free Southern Theater, the National Black Theater, and the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company. Earley has traveled to New York, Africa, Hawaii, Canada, California, Australia, the Rocky Mountains, and Florida. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.

Norvell A.S. Holyfield found her writing voice after years of physical and emotional abuse. Her work has been featured at the Miami International Book Fair, the Miami Beach Commission for Women, Safe Space Shelter North, various church auxiliaries, and domestic violence shelters. Holyfield also facilitates an after-school reading, writing, and poetry program for children at the Lincoln Fields Housing Projects of Miami. She currently serves as vice president of the Board of Directors for the Miami-Dade Victim Services and Trauma Resolution Center.

Shamele Jenkins - is a poet and spoken word artist with 31 years of experience in the literary world. She has performed, taught, and toured extensively throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, Canada, and the Caribbean. Jenkins has more than 14 self-published poetry books and 28 chapbooks. Her work can be found in numerous periodicals, anthologies, and magazines. In addition, she is the founder and artistic director of Lip

Lela Lombardo is a multi-disciplinary performing artist working in theatre, music, and dance. Founder and artistic director of Higher Ground, a community dance company, Lombardo is interested in exploring the identity of nature, race relations, anthropology, and the environment. She uses the arts to foster social and personal change with at-risk youth, animal, civil and environmental rights groups, homeless populations, hospitalized children, people with special needs, the elderly, the incarcerated, recovering addicts, and women.

Deborah Magdalena-Sama is an actress and sister of Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres. Her film and television credits include Sesame Street (CTW), Apollo Comedy Hour (Tribune), The Newz (Columbia-Tri-Star), Safe Harbor (WB), Billboard Latino (AZTECA-AMERICA), Striptease (CastleRock), Holyman (Caravan), and For Love or Country (HBO). Magdalena-Sama has released two CDs: Spoken Soul: A Survival Kit of Poetry and Deborah Magdalena LIVE. Her one-woman show, “Letters to the Men I Love,” was featured at the Carnival Center of the Performing Arts.

Some poems may not be suitable for children under the age of 17. This event is free and open to the public. Metered parking is free after 6 p.m. The evening will start with a light reception at 7 p.m., followed by the poetry readings.

• WHAT: Women’s Voices: Celebrating Life and Love
• WHEN: Saturday, Mar. 15, 8:30 PM
• WHERE: Tower Theater, 1508 S.W. Eight Street, Miami
• COST: This event is free and open to the public

For more information about this event, please contact Orlando Rojas, Tower Theater coordinator at 305-643-8706.

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