Filipino/African American Versers: Poetry to Support a Community

This panel will explore the various ways poetry works to activate, teach, heal, motivate, and inspire communities. It brings together poets whose work centers community. Poets who address issues and tell stories important to the community and present their work in a manner a broad audience appreciates. The panel will emphasize African American and Filipino solidarities, particularly in the South. Each poet will read or recite work that addresses their respective community, before briefly discussing how poetry compliments their work as activists, community historians, and/or healers.