Thursday, February 23, 2017
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
5:00 p.m. cash bar, 6:00 p.m. | FREE
Director Harold Smith’s documentary The Gospel According to Glenn North explores 18th & Vine Poet Laureate Glenn North’s unique poetic blend of jazz, blues, religion, black history, and social commentary. Join us for this debut screening, followed by a Q&A and special presentation by Kansas City–native Glenn North.
Glenn North, the inaugural poet laureate of Kansas City’s 18th & Vine Jazz District, is a nationally recognized performance poet who has shared the stage with such noted poets as Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and Amiri Baraka. He has been a featured poet at events hosted by MTV Rock the Vote, NAACP Black History Month, and KC Repertory Theatre in conjunction with the world premiere of Clay. North is currently poet in residence and education specialist at the American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, where he organizes the monthly open mic poetry series “Jazz Poetry Slams.” A committed teacher as well as student, he has worked extensively with urban youth, including as director of the Urban Transcendence Poetry Project, which included leading poetry and performance workshops, developing school curriculum, and editing the publication Urban Transcendence Poetry Magazine. In his words, Glenn strives to “write and perform poetry that possesses timeless aesthetic value while demonstrating how the written and spoken word can change lives and uplift communities.
