ABOVE PHOTO: Ursula Rucker
To kick off Women’s History Month, Duafe Holistic Hair Care will host ‘Poetry by Duafe’ with acclaimed author, playwright and noted Philadelphia poet laureate Sonia Sanchez and spoken word artist Ursula Rucker, Sunday, March 3, 3:00pm at Peche Sherman Mills, 3502 Scotts Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129.
Sonia Sanchez is a woman of many talents and just as many titles: poet, mother, professor, national and international lecturer on Black Culture and Literature; and so much more. A Philadelphia native, Sanchez is the author of over 16 books including “Homecoming,” “We a BaddDDD People,” “Love Poems,” “I’ve Been a Woman,” “A Sound Investment and Other Stories,” “Homegirls and Handgrenades,” and “Under a Soprano Sky.”
A recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts, the Outstanding Arts Award from the Pennsylvania Coalition of 100 Black Women, and the Community Service Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, she is also a winner of the 1985 American Book Award for “Homegirls and Handgrenades,” the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Humanities for 1988,, a PEW Fellowship in the Arts for 1992-1993 and the recipient of Langston Hughes Poetry Award for 1999.
Sanchez has lectured at over 500 universities and colleges in the United States and has traveled extensively, reading her poetry in Africa, Cuba, England, the Caribbean, Australia, Europe, Nicaragua, the People’s Republic of China, Norway, and Canada. In 2011, Mayor Michael A. Nutter named Sanchez the City of Philadelphia’s first poet laureate.
Joining Sanchez on the mic will be Ursula Rucker. Another Philadelphia native, Rucker is a spoken word-recording artist, best known for her unique poetry style and stage presence. She has collaborated with a wide variety of artists including King Britt, 4hero, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Josh Wink, Alix Perez, and most notably, The Roots.
Providing a musical soundtrack for the day will be percussionist Leonard William “Doc” Gibbs Jr, and DJ Mr. Zhigge.
Refreshments will be served. The cost to attend ‘Poetry by Duafe’ is $25, with all proceeds going to support the work of Obaatan, a faith-based organization that is dedicated to serving impoverished women and children who are deprived as a result of social abuse and economic hardship.
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