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NEWS:
Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing
Chicago State University
9501 South King Drive; DH 210-A
Chicago, IL 60628
Poetry Workshop at Chicago State University
Contact: Tacuma R. Roeback, 773-995-4440
CHICAGO – One of America's most distinguished younger poets will conduct a poetry workshop at one of the few beacons of African-American literature in country: Chicago State University’s Gwendolyn Brooks Center.
Award winning poet and scholar Quraysh Ali Lansana will host a three-day workshop, July 22, 29 and August 5. Each of the three workshop days go from 7-9 p.m. The cost of the workshop is $100. The workshops will take place on the campus of Chicago State, 9501 South King Drive. A limited number of slots are available. Those interested in registering for the workshops should contact the Gwendolyn Brooks Center at 773-995-4440.
The workshop is an opportunity for poets – both novice and experienced – to be instructed by one of nation’s most distinguished poets in Lansana, who is the director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center and author of five volumes of poetry.
“His voice, imagery, and spare lyricism are influenced by poets Lucille Clifton, Sterling Brown and Walt Whitman. These are stories of protest and gratitude from a beautiful storyteller,” says poet Renny Golden in the forward of Lansana’s latest poetry collection, bloodsoil (sooner red) (Voices from the American Land, 2009).
Lansana’s other books of poetry include cockroach children: corner poems and street psalms (1995) and Southside Rain (2000) and They Shall Run (2004), a collection of poems based on the life of Harriet Tubman. Lansana is the author of a children’s book, The Big World (1999), and co-editor of Dream of a Word: The Tia Chucha Press Poetry Anthology (2006) and Role Call: A Generational Anthology of Social and Political Black Literature and Art, published in 2002.
In addition to serving as director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center, Lansana is also an associate professor of English and Creative Writing at Chicago State University.
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The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing (GBC) was founded in 1990 on the historic campus of Chicago State University (CSU). It is named after Ms. Brooks, the former Poet Laureate of the State of Illinois and Distinguished Professor of English at Chicago State University. The Brooks Center is especially well known for its annual Gwendolyn Brooks Writers’ Conference, which is in its 18th year. The GBC is also home to the International Literary Hall of Fame for Writers of African Descent (IHOF), which has more than 150 inductees. Mr. Wright, whose plaque hangs in the Brooks Center, was inducted in the IHOF’s inaugural 1998 class.
JOB OPENING:
Project Director
Literacy and Health Education Programs
The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University
Since its inception, the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University has supported projects that use literary and artistic approaches to address social justice issues. For five years, the Center’s focus has been the HIV/AIDS Youth Prevention Education Program (H.Y.P.E.) which targets teenagers and young adults. Our HIV Youth Prevention Education (H.Y.P.E.) program’s mission is to educate high school students, adult learners, and the local community through creative literacy programs. These programs focus on HIV prevention and care as well as cultural sensitivity and the removal of stigmas.
The artistic nature of the project requires the inclusion of artists with a variety of backgrounds and extensive experience in education. The Project Director will provide management of the project including logistics, marketing and technical support. This individual will also be the liaison between the Center’s Literacy and Health Education programs, the schools and other venues, and guide the educational focus. The Project Director will be responsible for the HIV/AIDS education component of the project. The Project Director should have leadership abilities and managerial expertise to implement and further the goals of the Center’s Literacy and Health Education programs and aid the Brooks Center in sustaining this important work. The Project Director will work effectively as part of a team of Brooks Center staff and CSU administrators. The Project Director reports to the director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center.
Duties
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Manage H.Y.P.E programs, most notably the Positive Poetry Performance Troupes.
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Help identify and guide a core group of teaching artists and serve as the conduit between the artistic staff and Brooks Center/CSU administrative staff.
- Oversee the creation and publication of a third international anthology of creative writing from people of color on HIV/AIDS.
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Participate in/contribute to planning for the expansion of GBC social justice programs.
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Enthusiastically promote partnerships, programs, and projects to be pursued by the Brooks Center in an effort to further the work of Gwendolyn Brooks and Brooks Center programming.
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As meeting with administrators from schools and other venues is critical to the success of these programs, the Project Director must own a car and possess a valid driver’s license and automobile insurance.
Qualifications
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A minimum of five years experience in non-profit or arts management
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A minimum of five years experience working in educational settings
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Must be extremely organized and capable of independent thought and multi-tasking
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Advanced knowledge of Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Artistic and Non-profit Communities
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Advanced knowledge of literature and the arts
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Must be an effective communicator in all mediums.
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Strong administrative skills
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M.A., M.F.A. or Ph.D. preferred
Salary:
This is a full-time consultant position, renewed annually. Salary negotiable.
Application:
Chicago State University is an equal opportunity employer.
Interested applicants should mail a cover letter, a C.V./résumé, and a list of personal references to:
Quraysh Ali Lansana, Director
The Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature
and Creative Writing
Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing
Chicago State University
Douglas Hall 210-A
9501 S. King Drive
Chicago, IL 60628-1598
The deadline for applications is August 7, 2009. The start date is September 1, 2009.
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