Hi. Here's a reminder of two exemplary community organizations and their events, this weekend. Both are in the spirit of the deepest of people's culture, alive and kicking from days of old, to today. Below, as I introduced them to you earlier. Ed Here is the most recent leg of the magical flight of the Get Lit Players and the wizard who begat and sustains them, Diane Luby Lane. I've had the great fortune of hosting them regularly on Ash Grove shows for over two years, now, and seen three generations of senior poets graduate from school and the Players, and three groups of kids enter school and the group. At last Fall's big fundraiser at Actors Gang theater, Carol Muskie-Dukes, California's poet-laureate noted that Diane had solved the puzzle of poets, articulated by Shakespeare, himself; that of getting young people to appreciate and sustain classic poetry. Similar accolades (and poetry) were offered by Hellen Mirren, Jimmy Santiago Baca and host Tim Robbins. This upcoming event is a giant step up and forward for the group, involving, incredibly, 50 LA county high schoolers, and their teachers. At the first organizing meeting, in the middle of a school week, more than thirty teachers attended, discussed and signed on to help work on the project. It's not fantasy to say that the Players, the Grand Slam and, of course, Diane are playing a major role in sustaining a civilized and beautiful Los Angerles, and hopefully, beyond. They need and deserve your support. Ed PS: Check out the original Huffington Post url, below. The comments kept coming as I wrote this. From: Carol Muske-Dukes [mailto:carol.muske.du...@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 7:15 PM To: di...@getlit.org Cc: abryanna curtiss; Adam Jefferis; Adam Mariano; Adele; Adele Uddo; aileen gendrano; Airika Narcisse; Alexander Trivas; Amanda Hughes; andrea zomber; Anthony Andrews; Annette Harris; Beneca Ward; bigread; blaire baron; Bryan Erickson; Laurie Brown; Molly Brandenburg; b...@swcp.com; Brenda Young; Brian Avery; Brian Johnson; babaz...@aol.com; casey107; Chinaka Hodge; christal garcia; christina nelson; Christine Blosdale; Christine Spines; Christine Zapp; Claudia David; CRM 2089; Dana Goodyear; Daniel Kaufman; Carmen Vega; Darnell Strom; Daryl Barbieri; David Howard; Deborah North; Dimitri Gales; Ed Pearl; Elizabeth Doran; Albert Haro; Eric Borsum; Eric Fullilove; twinart; forkidso...@sbcglobal.net; foxhenryfrazier....@gmail.com; danirocha...@hotmail.com; gcorte...@gmail.com; pay...@gmail.com; y.p...@hotmail.com; Gigi Bizar; Gigliola Florez; Grace Hamailton; gise...@getlit.org; gillespieal...@aol.com
Subject: Re: My first Huffington Post blog... Literary Riot Hi Diane, Congratulations - this is terrific -- will pass it on! So glad I could help re getting to the editors - Onward! Carol On Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 7:03 PM, <di...@getlit.org> wrote: Hi Everyone! Please see the link below... and feel free to comment under the article if you like it and share with as many friends as they'll let you on Facebook!! Please help me so this "Literary Riot" is not a "Literary Quiet!" Dianexoxo Literary Riot <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_14 16291.html Diane Luby Lane <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/contributors/diane-luby-lane/headshot.jpg> Diane <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane> Luby Lane Founder/Executive Director, Get Lit-Words Ignite GET UPDATES FROM Diane Luby Lane <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Diane Luby Lane> <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=diane-luby-lane> <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/login/> <javascript:void(0);> Like 4 Los Angeles -- Literary Riot Posted: 04/10/2012 6:45 pm <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html?view=print> React <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/images/bignews/follow-arrow.png> Inspiring <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Motivating <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Moving <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Scary <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Outrageous <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Amazing <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Innovative <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Helpful <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-luby-lane/los-angeles-literary-riot_b_1 416291.html#> Follow <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/images/bignews/follow-arrow.png> <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/literacy> Literacy <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/literacy> , Child Literacy <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/child-literacy> , Get Lit <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/get-lit> , Get Lit Poetry <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/get-lit-poetry> , LA Reading <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/la-reading> , Los Angeles <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/los-angeles-public-schools> Public Schools , Los Angeles <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/los-angeles-teen-literacy> Teen Literacy , National Poetry <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/national-poetry-month> Month , National Poetry <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/national-poetry-slam> Slam , Impact <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/impact> News share this story Get Impact Alerts Sign Up <javascript:void(0);> Submit this story digg <http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fdiane-lu by-lane%2Flos-angeles-literary-riot_b_1416291.html&title=diane-luby-lane: Los+Angeles+--+Literary+Riot> reddit <http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2 Fdiane-luby-lane%2Flos-angeles-literary-riot_b_1416291.html&title=diane-luby -lane: Los+Angeles+--+Literary+Riot> stumble Have you heard? Los Angeles teen literacy rates are second lowest in the country. Budget cuts have all but eradicated the arts from our schools. Librarians have received pink slips. Are we witnessing the dismantling of the library in Los Angeles public high schools? YES, WE ARE! So I work... because books saved my life. And yes, I realize that those are the corniest words ever uttered. But they did. I grew up in New Jersey. Shy. Heart broken by divorce. Missing my dad, and with a mom that worked around the clock. Sound familiar? If you were a Los Angeles teenager it would. Books were my one constant, my one solace. And they were free. I am Founder and Executive Director of Get Lit-Words Ignite, Los Angeles' leading teen literacy nonprofit. We introduce teenagers to classic poems by poets like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Sylvia Plath, Pablo Neruda, Walt Whitman, Li Po, Lucille Clifton, etc. and then have them write their own spoken word responses. Both they memorize and perform. Through this process teens grow smarter, more confident, and are expanded by the life giving ideas presented in the words they encounter. I was taught this way of working by the Swedish actress, Viveca Lindfors. I never liked poetry or understood it until I saw her perform it live. Then I understood. She quoted Walt Whitman, "do I contradict myself? Very well, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes." And I was hooked. Aren't we all so much more than the faces we present to the world? CUT TO: 20 years later. On April 27th and April 28th Get Lit is hosting the nation's first ever, "Classic Slam," at the LATC and Wiltern Theaters respectively. 2,500 teens are currently going through our program in 18 different high schools and the top six teens from each school/region including S. Central, Watts, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Reseda, Pasadena, Inglewood, etc... will bus in to represent their school. Both events are free but I am scared. Scared because I don't know if anyone (besides the 1,000 participating teens) will show up. Scared because Get Lit has broken our bank to do this. Scared because it's National Poetry Month but we haven't received any press about this event. Scared because I don't know if you can risk it all on something, and win. And I have. I've risked it all. Because how long can you hear about budget cuts and Prop 13 and pink slips and incarcerated kids and NOT CARE? How long can you LISTEN TO THE PROBLEM??? "The pleasures of heaven are with me and the pains of hell are with me,/ The first I graft and increase upon myself, the latter I translate into a new tongue." Walt Whitman POETRY transforms the problem. As my old acting teacher used to scream as we indulged and vomited out every sob story, dream, and piece of melodrama that we could... "MAKE IT ART!" Performing poetry gives us the chance to take our fragmented stories and do just that. To make them sources of sharing and teaching -- things that unite rather than divide. But where is Walt now? Where in Langston??? Rolling over in their graves. "We need a new agent!" Because the only ones spouting their words are 1% of academia... Yet I and thousands of Los Angeles teenagers can attest that their words are alive as ever! We are living proof that "a classic isn't a classic because it's old... a classic is a classic because it's great!" If anyone cares to listen and if any of this matters at all. For more information go to www.classicslam.org <http://www.classicslam.org/> . Founded in 2005 in Los Angeles, Get Lit (www.getlit.org <http://www.getlit.org/> ) is a leading non-profit presenter of literary performance, education, and teen poetry programs. Get Lit uses the memorization and recitation of classic poetry as a launch pad for teen-created spoken word responses, fusing the two forms of expression into compelling performances, conducted by teens in school, after school, and through the organization's own select group of Get Lit Players. These poet ambassadors from throughout Los Angeles perform both classic and spoken word poetry, inspiring fellow teens to read, write, participate in the arts, and be leaders in their community. Each year Get Lit reaches over 15,000 at-risk teens in more than 45 high schools, turning students into motivated scholars inspired to stay in school and thrive. * * * Hi. I fully support the unique and critical role FolkWorks plays in furthering folk music of the world, here in the Southland, It's a journal of events, reviews and great articles, connecting people with their own roots and others, and truly bring Joy to the World. Theykeep my spirits alive and kicking. I strongly recomment this beautiful show, and a vital cause. Prost! Ed Inline image 1 . _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2411/4958 - Release Date: 04/25/12 _____ No virus found in this message. 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