“The intersection of poetry and prose within the D.C. art scene serves as a catalyst for cultural dialogue and social commentary. Writers often address pressing issues through their work, reflecting the complexities of urban life and the diverse experiences of the city's inhabitants. This literary engagement not only captivates audiences but also inspires action and awareness around various social topics. As the art scene continues to evolve, the integration of literary forms with other artistic expressions promises to further enrich the cultural landscape, making Washington, D.C. a significant hub for artistic innovation and collaboration.”
Join Mr. Miller, Ms. Ayala and Mr. Gilmore at Tenley on September 14th. For those interested in learning more about this literary event, please feel free to reach out via email at midnightrosereadingseries@gmail.com. Additional details can also be found on the official website of Esther Productions, Inc. at the provided link - https://www.estherproductionsinc.com/events-1/midnightrose-a-reading-series-of-poetry-prose.
“Mr. E. Ethelbert Miller is a writer and literary activist. He was born in 1950 and grew up in New York City. A graduate of Howard University, he was one of the first students at that institution to major in African American Studies. He is the former board chair of IPS and the former editor of Poet Lore.
Today, he is the board chair of the Institute for Policy Studies, a progressive think tank located in Washington, D.C. Miller served as Director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University and is the editor of Poet Lore, the oldest poetry magazine published in the United States. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature from Emory and Henry College. A Fulbright Senior Specialist Program Fellow in 2004 and 2012, Miller is the founder and former chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. The author of several collections of poetry, he has also written two memoirs, Fathering Words: The Making of an African American Writer (2000) and The 5th Inning (2009).
Miller is the host and producer of The Scholars, which airs on UDC-TV. His poetry has been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Chinese, Farsi, Norwegian, Tamil and Arabic. A recent core faculty member with the Bennington Writing Seminars, Miller has taught at UNLV, American University, George Mason University, and Emory and Henry College. Inducted into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame for 2015, Miller is also a regular on National Public Radio.”
“Ms. Naomi Ayala was born in Puerto Rico, Naomi Ayala moved to the United States in her teens, eventually earning an MFA from the Bennington College Writing Seminars. Writing in both Spanish and English, she is author of the poetry collections Calling Home: Praise Songs and Incantations (2013), This Side of Early (2008), and Wild Animals on the Moon (1997), chosen by the New York City Public Library as a 1999 Book for the Teen Age. Her poems have appeared in the anthologies Boriquén to Diasporican: Puerto Rican Poetry from Aboriginal Times to the New Millennium (2007), Latino Boom: An Anthology of U.S. Latino Literature (2006), and First Flight: 24 Latino Poets (2006).
An educator and arts administrator interested in environmental causes, Ayala has received numerous awards, including the Connecticut Latinas in Leadership Award, the 2000 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy of Environmental Justice Award, and the 2001 Larry Neal Writers Award for Poetry from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.
Ayala has been a visiting humanities scholar for Hermana a Hermana/Sister to Sister and was co-chair of the board of directors for the organization Change: Building Social Justice, Starting in the Classroom; she co-founded the New Haven Alliance for Arts and Cultures. A resident of Washington, DC, she currently teaches creative writing in ESL classrooms.”
“Mr. Brian Gilmore is a public interest lawyer, and writer and the author of Elvis Presley is alive and well and living in Harlem, and Jungle Nights and Soda Fountain Rags: Poem for Duke Ellington. He is a columnist with the Progressive Media Project and a contributing writer to Jazz Times Magazine.
As an attorney, Gilmore worked for 7 years in Southeast Washington D.C. providing free legal services in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. He is now a columnist for the Progressive Media Project and a regular contributor to the Crisis Magazine and the Progressive. His writings on politics and culture are widely published. His fiction, non-fiction and poetry have appeared in The Progressive, The Washington Post, The Nation, Emerge Magazine, The Greene County Democrat, the Washington Afro-American, Obsidian II, Eyeball, Bum Rush the Page, Gargoyle and in addition, on National Public Radio (NPR). He was a contributing writer for the award winning film, Voices Against Violence, a hip-hop and poetic film commentary on the rise of black on black homicide in Washington D.C.”