Monday, April 2, 2012

BOH Slam Team are Finalists!



BOH Slam Team are "Louder Than a Bomb" Finalists! 
Books of Hope's first ever slam team, called "Words for Deaf Ear" came in 1st during Preliminary & Semi-final rounds of the 1st annual "Louder Than a Bomb" youth poetry slam held at MIT this weekend! 

We're off to the Finals, to be held on Apr 13 at Villa Victoria Arts Center in the South End to claim the Championship! Of course, we've got to get past 3 other really incredible teams of teen poets (all ages 13-18), but we're up for it!

We're the only youth poetry and literacy program in Somerville and we're making moves! We went up against 16 teams from across the state of Massachusetts this weekend and there are only 4 left standing.

Words for Deaf Ears poets: Aminata Keita, Arlene Baldwin, Claire Alcindor, Jordan Young, and Yolandi Cruz blew up the spot and took no prisoners, just several maximum scores of 10, with poems whose subjects ranged from heralding the Tuskegee Airmen’s valor over racism to questioning what separates and connects these aspiring poets to the stereotypical image of teen mothers who ride the #23 bus that runs through Mattapan, Dorchester and Roxbury. 

Our slam team is a collaboration between Books of Hope youth writers and Artovotion slam poetry coaches, Ashley Rose Salomon and Liz Grey. Books of Hope is directed by L Soul Brown.

Check out our other events & news...

April 5 & 19
Books of Hope on Display!
This spring, Books of Hope’s youth authored books will be on display in two shows, organized by the initiative, “Violence Transformed,” that celebrates the power of art, artists and artmaking to confront, challenge and mediate violence.

From April 1-June1, BOH Books will be included in the exhibition, “The Artist’s Voice,” held at the Resnikoff Gallery at Roxbury Community College. The exhibit brings together the work of young, emerging and established artists who use art to heal and build community. 

The reception will take place on Thursday, April 5th, 7-9pm at the college, along with a Launch Party for the multimedia project, “What is Beautiful Never Dies,” which pairs 12 local hip-hop artists with 12 families affected by violence to create an album of 12 original songs. The Resnikoff Gallery is located in RCC’s Media Arts Building at 1234 Columbus Avenue.

BOH Books will also be featured at the Massachusetts State House, April 17-27, in Violence Transformed’s annual exhibition, “Celebrating the Transformative Power of Art”. An Opening Reception will be held on Thursday, April 19th, 3:30-5:30 in Doric Hall. The reception will feature musical, dance, and spoken word performances and be attended by members of the state legislature.

April 17 
On April 17, Porter Sq Books will host a reception for book givers from 7pm-9pm. It is a chance to pick up your books, meet other givers, and share why you chose that particular book to give away. We’ll get together, have fun, and celebrate books.


April 23
World Book Night Celebration
On Monday, April 23rd, Books of Hope will celebrate World Book Night by handing out brand new copies of Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” to low-income families in the Mystic Housing Project, Somerville where the program has held free writing workshops for teens and young adults since 1999. The giveaway is meant to spark a love of reading among people in the community by giving them a free paperback book. April 23rd is UNESCO’s World Book Day, and simultaneously, giveaways will take place in the UK and Ireland that same night. Ms Angelou’s classic memoir speaks of one’s ability to triumph over adversity and become the person who you dream to be, a journey that youth members of Books of Hope undertake through the program. Ms. Angelou uses the universal language of love and acceptance to affirm the experiences of women, poor people, and African Americans. During the evening, BOH youth will also read selections from Maya Angelou’s poetry.


Thursday, March 29, 2012

An Update...


BOH youth have been crazy busy, out there in the world spreading their message, sharing their writings, and clutching down on final revisions to their books. Here's Yolandi from last week's reading, check back for pics from our 'Louder than a Bomb' spoken word contest coming up tomorrow (Friday, March 30)!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Meet Anathalie...



Hey everyone!  My name is Anathalie, and my personal mission with BOH as a writer and youth leader is to provide a comfortable experience to learn through art and literacy with all those who desire. If I could start BOH anywhere in the world I'd choose Haiti (my homeland).  My message to you is: speak out and don’t be afraid to express and be yourself. Let it be known!  Five years from now I see BOH on tour doing competitions and performances with a crazy logo and so much more!