DodgePoetry@NJPACreturnsforsecondyearofpoetryprogramming,workshopsandmore!
Media Contact:
Angela Thomas, NJPAC, 201.503.1333, AThomas@njpac.org
THE WORD IS OUT
Dodge Poetry@NJPAC returns for second year of poetry programming, workshops and more!
Initiatives include: The return of Dodge Poetry in the Community free workshops in June for Newark teens;
Introduction of Dodge Poetry Youth Ambassadors;
Sonia Sanchez on June 1 and the Nuyorican Poets Café Slam Team on
July 11 headlining poetry programming at NJPAC
May 21, 2025 — Newark, NJ — The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) kicks off summer with free Dodge Poetry in the Community workshops for teens ages 13 – 18. The summer’s Dodge Poetry lineup also includes impassioned spoken word on the stage with performances by renowned poet Sonia Sanchez and the Slam Team of the New York City collective, the Nuyorican Poets Café.
The Dodge Poetry in the Community workshops, led by Newark mentor poets and Rutgers University–Newark MFA students, give Newark’s young people the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of poetry and experience how their words can express joy and healing, and can be used as tools for social change.
Now in its second season, Dodge Poetry in the Community is part of an expanded partnership between NJPAC and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. The youth workshops will continue in the fall and are produced in partnership with NJPAC’s Arts Education, MENTOR Newark, Clinton Hill Community Action, Temple of Hip Hop and the Ronald L. Rice Arts Center West.
“NJPAC is thrilled to work with our partners on engaging young people throughout Newark,” says John Schreiber, NJPAC President and CEO. “Sharing poetry with peers is a way to build a community of kindness and empathy. Our partnership with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation provides us with the ability to create brave spaces for our students to think creatively and be their authentic selves.”
Interested teens can register for multiple sessions. One series will take place on June 16 and 30 at Zion Hill Baptist Church, 152 Osborne Terrace, Newark, from 6 – 8PM. The event is a collaboration with Clinton Hill Community Action (CHCA) and is led by Margie “Mia X” Johnson, manager of the Arts and Creative Placemaking department at CHCA and the city’s first poet laureate.
A second series will take place on June 18 and 27 at NJPAC’s Center for Arts Education, 124 Rector St., Newark. The June 18 session runs 4:30 – 7:30PM and June 27 from 2 – 3:30PM, followed by an open mic from 4 – 7:30PM.
A third series will take place on June 17 and 23 at MENTOR Newark, Heritage Hall, 50 Halsey St., Newark, from 3:30 – 6:30PM.
Dodge Poetry in the Community began with 10 workshops, in locations throughout Newark, during the fall of 2024. Four exceptional participants were selected for the first cohort of Dodge Poetry Youth Ambassadors.
The Ambassadors program builds a pipeline of civically engaged poets through one year of mentorship that includes instruction on craft plus guidance on the business of being a working poet and fostering a career in the arts. Ambassadors will also perform at events in Newark and throughout New Jersey.
“Through the Dodge Poetry Youth Ambassadors program we’re cultivating the next generation of creative talent and civic leadership,” says Dr. Sherri-Ann Butterfield, Senior Vice President, Social Impact. “Utilizing the power of their spoken and written words, this initiative enables our young people to become part of the artistic fabric of Newark.”
The following students are 2025 Dodge Poetry Youth Ambassadors. They were selected for their exemplary passion and commitment to writing and performing poetry during the 2024 Dodge Poetry in the Community workshops:
Zarah Bethea is a senior at East Christian High School who has won awards at Model UN conferences; she will attend Spelman College in the fall of 2025.
Karina Briggs, “Kaydotkazi,” is a freshman at Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology who has been writing since the fourth grade.
Devin Mitchell is a senior and cheerleader at Science Park High School; he will attend Franklin & Marshall College in the fall of 2025.
Londyn Rogers, “The Lyricist,” a freshman at Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts is an aspiring director and teacher.
Summer Dodge Poetry events also include a free online conversation and ticketed performances. Tickets are now on sale. To purchase, contact NJPAC at 1.888.GO.NJPAC (1.888.466.5722) or visit njpac.org.
Sonia Sanchez
This is Not A Small Voice
Sunday, June 1, 2025 @ 3PM
Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch Stage | Victoria Theater
Celebrate one of the most important writers and scholars of the Black Arts Movement, Sonia Sanchez. Throughout a distinguished career of 70+ years, her poetry has rocked the spoken-word scene and our nation. Join us as we give well-deserved flowers to this revolutionary voice of activism, Black identity and social justice. Sanchez will take the stage, along with special guests Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Christian McBride Trio, Saul Williams, Mahogany L. Browne and The Last Poets.
Undocumented Futures
Virtual
Monday, June 2, 2025 @ 6PM
Free
Four recipients of the Undocupoets Fellowship — blu, Wo Chan, Claudia Rojas and Georgia Russell — celebrate the organization’s decade of literary activism and the recent publication of Here to Stay: Poetry and Prose from the Undocumented Diaspora, and imagines what the future of the literary landscape entails for poets writing from the undocumented experience. Register at njpac.org/series/dodgepoetry.
Mic Check
The Nuyorican at Dodge Poetry
Friday, July 11, 2025 @ 7:30PM
Chase Room | NJPAC
Raw talent and powerful voices take over NJPAC’s Chase Room. Hosted by Newark’s Paul Con Queso, a Nuyorican mainstay and Assistant Producer of Dodge Poetry in the Community, this high-energy event showcases emerging and seasoned performers who make up the 2025 Nuyorican Slam Team: Sola Kush, Brittany Barker, Jesica “Sumbodies Mama” Blandon and UGBA. The evening concludes with an open mic.
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About NJPAC
New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is the most diverse performing arts center in the country, and the anchor cultural institution for both the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey. It is an artistic, cultural, educational and civic center where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists, while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC Arts & Well-Being develops initiatives and programs that amplify the health benefits of the arts and measure the impact of the Arts Center on community health and well-being. NJPAC has attracted more than 12 million visitors (including more than two million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit njpac.org for more information.
About Dodge Poetry
Dodge Poetry, an initiative of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), creates engaging programming that promotes poetry as a catalyst for social change and honors Newark’s thriving poetry community. The program presents the biennial Dodge Poetry Festival, the largest poetry festival in North America. Launched in 1986, the event spotlights the most vibrant and distinguished voices in contemporary poetry and spoken word, and presents poetry in performance with jazz, hip hop, dance and other art forms. Dodge Poetry in the Community workshops for teens and other year-round poetry events and performances foster accessible ways for audiences of all ages to discover their voices through poetry.