This spring, join Lehman College’s Leonard Lief Library and One Book One Bronx as they celebrate 250 years of African American poetry.

The Leonard Lief Library at Lehman College and One Book One Bronx will host a series of eclectic programs and reading groups as part of the nationwide initiative Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters.  Sponsored by the Library of America and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Lift Every Voice seeks to engage the public in a multifaceted exploration of African American poetry, the perspectives it offers on American history and the ongoing struggle for racial justice, and the universality of its imaginative response to the personal experiences of Black Americans over three centuries. Lehman College is the only venue in New York City that was chosen to host Lift Every Voice programming. (For details and a listing of related events across the country, visit https://www.africanamericanpoetry.org.)

The Lehman College/One Book One Bronx collaboration will bring audiences closer to the intersection of Black language and music with programs featuring Pulitzer Prize Winner Tyehimba Jess, Chicago poet Tara Betts, Philadelphia Poet Laureate Trapeta B. Mayson, and the iconic poetry group The Last Poets, among others.