A​noka County Library to Host Poet Stella Binion

From Anoka County Library: Anoka County’s Johnsville Library will host Stella Binion, the Midwest winner of the National Student Poets program on Friday, April 28, 2017, from 4-6 p.m. for a Teen Poetry Workshop in honor of National Poetry Month. The Johnsville Library is located at 12461 Oak Park Blvd, Blaine.

Stella Binion, 17, is a Chicago native whose poetry resume spans from open mic nights to co-captaining the Rebirth Poetry Ensemble performance poetry team. Binion and her Rebirth teammates won the Louder Than a Bomb slam poetry competition in 2016 and went on to represent Chicago at the 19th annual Brave New Voices International Poetry Slam Festival.

"This is a great opportunity to hear from one of our up-and-coming poets," said Library Board President Dan Greensweig. "Ms. Binion is an important artist and we are fortunate to be able to share her work with our community."

In addition to her work on poetry teams, Binion is a poet educator, who leads workshops in Chicago for 5th graders. She brings her skills as a renowned poet and educator to the Teen Poetry Workshop. Teens will learn about slam poetry, how to write poetry, and gain inspiration for their own creative writing.

In a statement to the inaugural winners of the National Student Poet program in 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama wrote, “Throughout our nation’s history, the arts have sparked imaginations young and old, inspired us to take action, and helped bring us together.”

Stella Binion is presented in partnership with MELSA and the Minnesota Department of Education. For a full calendar of library events, visit the library’s website www.anokacountylibrary.org.

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