Writer, educator and spoken word poet Sarah Kay will bring her engaging performance style to Austin Peay State University through a live virtual appearance at 8 p.m. CST on Thursday, Oct. 7. The performance is free and open to the public via Zoom webinar with a Q&A to follow.
Kay will be in residence—albeit virtually—at APSU from Oct. 7-9. In addition to the public performance, Kay will visit an APSU creative writing class, lead a spoken word poetry workshop and offer one-on-one coaching exclusively for APSU students. The residency is funded by the Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence.
Kay’s expressive words and enthusiasm have made her one of today’s leading voices in spoken word poetry. Her appearance, titled “If I Should Have a Daughter,” at the TED 2011 Conference, has over 15 million video views on TED.com.
Kay is a best-selling author of four books of poetry including B, No Matter the Wreckage, The Type, and All Our Wild Wonder. She is also a celebrated performer in over 25 countries and an editor for Write Bloody Publishing. Kay and her longtime collaborator, Phil Kaye, founded and co-direct Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression), an international movement that celebrates and inspires youth self-expression through Spoken Word Poetry.
A native New Yorker, Kay began performing poetry as a teenager at the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan. Kay earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Brown University with her Master of Arts in the Art of Teaching Secondary English. She attended the United Nations International School, received an International Baccalaureate diploma and was presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Grinnell College. To learn more about Kay, visit her website, www.kaysarahsera.com.
Public Performance (free and open to everyone):
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7
Zoom ID: 884 2701 6194
Register online here
APSU student workshop:
6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8
Zoom ID is: 859 8075 7216
Register online here
Workshop participants must register with an APSU email address. Students who attend the workshop will have the opportunity to sign up for a one-on-one session with Kay noon-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9.
Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence
In 1985, country music legend Roy Acuff generously established an endowment to enrich the regional arts community through guest artist residencies.
The Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence brings nationally and internationally acclaimed artists to APSU to share their expertise with students and the community in a dynamic atmosphere of unrestricted experimentation.
The Acuff Chair rotates between APSU’s four creative arts areas—creative writing, music, theatre and dance, and art and design—and has been filled each year with residencies by nationally and internationally known artists since its inception. Learn more at apsu.edu/ceca/chair.
