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CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF LITERATURE

SPECIAL EVENT

JAVA POETS COLLECTIVE TO OFFER CELEBRATORY READING IN HONOR OF NEW PUBLICATION, “JAVA WEDNESDAYS,”

NYS Writers Institute, October 4, 2009
2 - 4 p.m. Group Reading | Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary, 217 Wolf Road, Albany

CALENDAR LISTING:
The Java Poets Collective, a group that grew out of a New York State Writers Institute community workshop taught by poet Cara Benson, will launch the publication of its first chapbook, “Java Wednesdays,” with a group reading on Sunday, October 4, 2009 from 2-4 p.m. at Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary, 217 Wolf Road in Albany. The event is free and open to the public.

PROFILE
In spring 2006 the New York State Writers Institute offered a workshop in poetry conducted by Cara Benson. Following the conclusion of the workshop the participants continued to meet independently, forming the Java Poets Collective. The group is publishing “Java Wednesdays,” a chapbook of their work, and will launch its release with this reading. Readers include Deb Adler, Joe Capobianco, Maria DeLucia-Evans, Gwen Gould, Scott Hicks, Nick Kling, Cecele Kraus, Suzanne Meyers, Terry Royne, Jan Tramontano, Amy White, and the group’s former instructor, Cara Benson.

Cara Benson was recently chosen by Belladonna Press to participate in the Belladonna Elders Series, a program that enables emerging writers to guest-host readings with major writers “who influence and inspire them.” Benson hosted pioneering American performance poets Anne Waldman and Jayne Cortez, an event commemorated in the book, “Belladonna Elder Series #7” (2009).

Forthcoming books by Benson include “Predictions” (2009) and “(made)” (2010). She also edits the online journal “Sous Rature.” Her writing appears in print and online in “88,” “HOW2,” “EOAGH,” “Sentence,” “BoogCity,” “Tarpaulin Sky,” and elsewhere. Chapbooks include “Quantum Chaos and Poems: A Manifest(o)ation” (2nd printing, 2008), “Spell/ing ( ) Bound,” and “Up” (2008-9). In addition to teaching for Skidmore College, Benson conducts a poetry workshop every Tuesday with male inmates at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facilty in upstate New York.

The New York State Writers Institute offers free non-credit writing workshops throughout the academic year in a variety of genres and levels for members of the community at large. Workshops are taught by writers-in-residence who have distinguished themselves both for their writing and their teaching. The workshops are open to all applicants on a competitive basis.

In addition to Cara Benson, authors conducting workshops at the Institute have included Douglas Bauer, Elizabeth Benedict, Langdon Brown, Angela Carter, Lydia Davis, Carolyn Forché, Douglas Glover, Eamon Grennan, James Lasdun, Antonine Maillet, Judith Malina, John Montague, Joan Murray, William Patrick, Jerome Rothenberg, Edward Sanders, Le Anne Schreiber, Richard Selzer and Rebecca Wolff.

For additional information, contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at https://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.