The Black Heritage of New Hampshire is proud to partner with 3S Artspace to present its annual poetry series entitled, “The Black Matter Is Life: Poetry for Engagement and Overcoming,” beginning Thursday, November 18 at 7:00 PM at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth.

The Black Matter Is Life event is a three-part program from November to January 2022, hosted by University of New Hampshire professor Reginald Wilburn and Phillips Exeter Academy professor Courtney Marshall in conversation with a featured guest poet as they discuss and share a select body of work by African American poets.

This program is designed to build bridges across the racial divide by introducing the audience to the writings of African American poets whose work has shone a light on a rich cultural heritage that has often gone unexplored.  The series will explore the questions, “Why does African American poetry matter?” and “How does it provide tools for healing our nation’s deep racial wounds?” Conversation centers the poems within the context of the African American literary tradition and its cultural heritage.

Presenters will deconstruct four poems grouped by themes. Poems for the first event, November 18, 7:00 – 8:30 PM, highlight the theme, “In a Sentimental Mood” with the poems of William Stanley Braithwaite (Turn Me to My Yellow Leaves), Claude McKay (Spring in New Hampshire), Robert Hayden (Those Winter Sundays), and Ntozke Shange (Mood Indigo).  Participants can access the poems and a study guide on our website before each event.

A special component of this season’s event will include a reading of an original poem by a local student whose poem was entered in a contest sponsored by the Racial Unity Team.  Students were asked to write a poem inspired by a line from Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem, “The Hill We Climb.”  Treyvon Cannon Bennit, from Park Side Middle School, Manchester, NH, will read his poem, The Light Shines, to open the poetry series on November 18.

In tandem with this poetry series, 3S Artspace will feature two exhibits in its Gallery: A Quiet Reach, works by Daniel Minter, and Vision and Visibility, a group exhibit of works by emerging BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) artists from New England.

Participants who register for the first poetry event, November 18, will be able to preview the artist’s work prior to the official opening at 3S Artspace on November 19.  Both are hybrid events that can be attended in person or virtually.

To learn more about these exciting programs and exhibits and to register visit our Black Matter is Life Poetry page or call 603-570-8469.

For information about health and safety guidelines during your visit to 3S Artspace, go to www.3sarts.org/health-and-safety.