For Immediate Release

MARYGROVE COLLEGE HOSTS SPOKEN WORD POETS ON

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

DETROIT, MARCH 12, 2007 – Marygrove College welcomes urban and national Spoken Word poets on Friday, March 16, 2007, from 7:30 to 10 p.m. in Alumnae Hall of the Madame Cadillac Building. The Evening Coffee House, an annual event, celebrates Women’s History Month and, in 2007, has been designated an Inaugural Event to commemorate the inauguration of Marygrove’s 8^th president, Dr. David Fike.

In keeping with the inaugural theme, “Urban Leadership: Expressions of Legacy, Commitment to Progress,” the Spoken Word poets will bring their own thoughts of “Urban Leadership and Contemporary Literary Voices” to the Detroit community.

Headlining the Evening Coffee House will be author, activist and former Essence editor Asha Bandele of New York (Absence in the Palms of My Hands) and Queen Sheba of Atlanta, and local poets Jamaal “Versiz” May, Legacy Leonard and Karega Ani who will also take the stage on Friday.

Dr. Loretta Woodard, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Evening Coffee House, said, “Marygrove is bringing some of the most noted names in contemporary spoken word poetry in the country and in our own urban community. Literary expression takes many forms and spoken word poetry is one of today’s most exciting genres.”

General admission is $5 and $3 for seniors and students with ID. Proceeds will go to the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society Scholarship Fund.

The Evening Coffee House is made possible through the support of DaimlerChrysler, Comerica Bank and Jay Harrison of Harrison Technologies, Inc., members of the Marygrove College Urban Leaders Circle.

For more information about the “Urban Leadership and Contemporary Literary Voices” Evening Coffee House, please contact Dr. Loretta Woodard, 313-927-1452 or lwoodard@marygrove.edu.

Marygrove College is located at 8425 W. McNichols Road, Detroit (corner of Wyoming and W. McNichols). A liberal arts college, Marygrove provides undergraduate and graduate programs in education, art and art therapy, music, dance, forensic science, criminal justice, mathematics, social work, social justice, human resource management, and business and computer information systems, among many others. Visit us at www.marygrove.edu or call 866-313-1927.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: PHOTOS OF SPOKEN WORD POETS ARE AVAILABLE AT WWW.MARYGROVE.EDU/NEWS.