of the country . . .
Subject: SAVE the DATE - - Dr. Eugene B. Redmond's 75 Birthday Celebration
September-November 2012
From: Darlene Roy 618 235-1392 (poetdarlene@charter.net) & Donahue Redmond 919
334-9797 (dredmond@att.com)
TO: Media, Friends, Family, Fellow Artists, and Supporters of Dr. Eugene B.
Redmond
SUBJECT: FOUR-DAY FESTIVAL TO HONOR POET LAUREATE'S 75TH BIRTHDAY IN EAST ST.
LOUIS, IL
A four-day Metro-East St. Louis (IL) Festival (Nov. 28th-Dec. 1) will honor the
75th birthday of Dr. Eugene B. Redmond, poet laureate of the city.
Highlighting his life and works, the celebration will include poetry
performances, music, dance, scholarship, and a “kwansaba” poetry writing
contest for high school students. All festivities, with the exception of an
invitation-only Multi-Arts Gala on December 1st (EBR's Birthday), are free to
the public.
An SIUE emeritus professor of English at Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville, Dr. Redmond is the author/editor of several dozen books, journals
and plays for stage and television, winner of two American Book Awards
(1993/2012), and namesake of the ESL-based EBR Writers Club.
Owing to the poet's close association with the late Katherine Dunham (1909-
2006) and his career-length engagement with the performing/percussive arts,
drum ensembles will invoke ancestors at each of the five major events.
Festival Sketch:
Wednesday, November 28th—free to family
12:00 Noon—Poetry Readings (& refreshments) with Michael Castro, Shirley
Leflore, & Desmond Porter, winner of the student poetry contest (Library
[Building B] of the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus, 601 J.R. Thompson
Drive, ESL, IL 62201) (Contact: Treasure Shields Redmond at 618 874-8708)
Thursday, November 29th—free to family
12:30-1:30 PM—Kwansaba Panel/Readings featuring Charlois Lumpkin, Darlene Roy,
Jeffery Skoblow & Open Mic w/SIUE students (Southern Illinois U-Edwardsville
Lovejoy Library, 1st Floor [62026])
Reception from 1:30 'til 2:00 PM (Contact: Dr. Howard Rambsy at 618 650-2326)
Friday, November 30th—free to family
(#1) 2:30-3:45 PM—ESL Senior High School's (District 189) World Renowned Jazz
Band (Directed by Delano Redmond), Student Poets/Guest Speaker (Small Gym, 4901
State Street, ESL, IL 62205) (Contact: Darlene Roy at 618 235-1392)
(#2) 7:00-9:00 PM—Jazz & Poetry Festival at East St. Louis City Hall (301 River
Park Drive, 62201) w/The Bosman Twins, The Mark Haynes Trio & Visiting Poets—
free; adults only (Contact: Jaye P. Willis at 618 593-9142)
Saturday, December 1st—invitation only
6:00-10:00 PM—EBR Birthday Gala Banquet at ESL w/Sunshine's Community
Performance Ensemble, ESL Jazz Combo & Literary Luminaries (Contact: Darlene
Roy and/or Donahue Redmond; see below)
In lieu of gifts, the Festival Committee suggests donations to the Dr. Eugene
B. Redmond Learning Center and Reading Room. The Center, consisting of hundreds
of thousands of books, art works, manuscripts, photographs, letters, brochures,
flyers, playbills, posters, and other memorabilia, will be housed in the Elijah
P. Lovejoy Memorial Library at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Donations should be made (via check or money order) to Drumvoices Revue/EBR
Center and mailed to: EBR Writers Club, P.O. Box 6165, ESL, IL 62201. Donors of
$50.00 or more will receive a copy of Dr. Redmond's new book, "Arkansippi
Memwars: Poetry, Prose & Chants, 1962-2012."
Please let us know if you are planning to come to East St. Louis to join in the
celebration!!!
Please email or call the committee co-chairpersons, Darlene Roy at 618 235-1392
(poetdarlene@charter.net) or Donahue Redmond at 919 334-9797
(dredmond@att.com).
We are excited about celebrating Eugene's 75th year!!!
For info on the EBR Writers Club, call 618 650-3991; email: eredmon@siue.edu
EBR's website: http://www.EugeneBRedmond.com/
For more about the Eugene B. Redmond Collection visit
www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/ebr.shtml
To view digitized portions, go to
www.siue.edu/lovejoylibrary/about/digital_collections.shtml
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