Bet on Black, New London

Event:

Date:

May 2nd, 2024.

Time:

6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Location:

The Fair Trade Shop, at 86 Bank St., New London, CT 06320

Contact:

Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, HartfordPoetLaureate@gmail.com 860-222-5524

Flavours of Life: The Fair Trade Shop will host Bet on Black: The Significance of Self-Love.

This art initiative is designed to increase awareness of problem gambling in the marginalized African-American communities of Southeastern Connecticut. It will be an evening of multi-media artistry incorporating musical and poetry performances, as well as visual art to embrace the significance of self-love. The evening will comprise a live musical performance by the JShowtime Jazz & Soul ensemble followed by spoken word poetry performances by Connecticut Poet Laureates: Nadia Sims (Manchester), Josh "AnUrbanNerd" Brown (New London), Sharmont "Influence" Little (New Haven), Nzima Hutchings (Enfield), Frederick-Douglass Knowles II (Hartford Emeritus) and Antoinette Brim-Bell (State of Connecticut).

The evening will also include a live painting by visual artist Iyaba Ibo Mandingo and will conclude with a musical performance by Hip-Hop artist Frank Colmenares.

Bet on Black will be a safe, creative space to hear and share stories on the economic disparity that leads members of the black community to try and acquire the American Dream through the means of problem gambling, which ironically propels them deeper into despair. This art initiative is a collective approach to combat problem gambling and its effect on our family, friends, and communities.

The event is sponsored by: Cultural Coalition, Flavours of Life, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Community Involvement Committee of Connecticut State Community College: Three Rivers Campus.

This event is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

6/1

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

6/1

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

6/4

Poems from CT's Four Corners
Five notable CT poets share their work!

6/5

Poetry & Protest Discussion
Just in Case this is Not a Perfect World . . .

6/7-7/5

Ekphrastic Exhibit, Vernon
2025 Annual Collaboration between ACE artists & RHS Writers

6/8

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

6/11

Woodbury Open Mic Poetry Night

6/11

Riverwood Poetry Series, Hartford
Thought-Provoking Poetry

6/12

Second Thursday Series, Guilford
Featured Poet plus Open Mic

6/14

Write it, Polish it, Publish it! Southbury PL
Free writing & publishing workshop series, Southbury

6/15

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

6/15

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

6/22

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

6/29

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

7/6

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

7/6

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

7/7

Poetry reading with Indigenous Poets Kimberly Blaeser, Denise Low & Natasha Gambrell

7/9

Woodbury Open Mic Poetry Night

7/10

Second Thursday Series, Guilford
Featured Poet plus Open Mic

7/12

Write it, Polish it, Publish it! Southbury PL
Free writing & publishing workshop series, Southbury

7/13

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

7/14

Poetry workshop with Martin Espada

7/14

Poetry reading with Martin Espada & Joan Kwon Glass

7/20

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

7/20

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

7/21

Poetry Reading with Mark Doty & Trace Peterson

7/21

Poetry workshop with Mark Doty

7/27

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

7/28

Poetry workshop with Danez Smith

7/28

Poetry reading with Danez Smith & Mahogany L. Browne

8/3

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

8/3

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

8/9

Write it, Polish it, Publish it! Southbury PL
Free writing & publishing workshop series, Southbury

8/10

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

8/13

Woodbury Open Mic Poetry Night

8/14

Second Thursday Series, Guilford
Featured Poet plus Open Mic

8/17

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

8/17

Writing Workshop, Ridgefield
Poet Laureate leads Workshop

8/24

Drop in & Write! Southbury
Weekly Open Writing at Gallery

Connecticut Council of Poets Laureate