"Voices of Woodlawn" Online Poetry Reading on Oct. 15 at 8 pm

VOICES OF WOODLAWN Online Poetry Reading 

Thursday, Oct. 15 at 8 pm

Watch live on Zoom 

In a unique collaboration, three Black poets and a white poet from the D.C. area will share their moving poetry about the conflicted history of Woodlawn, a former 2,000-acre plantation in Alexandria once owned by George Washington where more than 90 enslaved people were forced to work. The property was sold in 1846 to a group of Quakers who opposed slavery, and Woodlawn is now managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The featured poets include Diane Wilbon Parks, Patrick Washington, Sylvia Dianne “Ladi Di” Beverly and Hiram Larew, who will be accompanied by harmonica player Cliff Bernier. Don’t miss this timely poetry reading that explores how Black history connects the past to the present.

This reading was organized by the City of Takoma Park’s Takoma Park Arts cultural series, which includes concerts, film screenings, poetry readings, and more. Go to takomaparkmd.gov/arts to learn more and sign up for our weekly e-newsletter. The arts keep us together even when we’re apart.

Image: Detail of “Royalty” by Diane Wilbon Parks