Poetry Reading to Benefit UCSB Partner Organization, Haiti Relief Fund

A poetry reading in the Fé Bland Forum at Santa Barbara City College on Sunday, February 28, will benefit both Haiti Soleil, a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with the Center for Black Studies Research at UC Santa Barbara, and the UCSB Haiti Relief Fund.

The reading will begin at 7 p.m. and feature several prominent local poets, including the current and previous Santa Barbara Poets Laureates. Admission is free, although donations are welcome.

Haiti Soleil, whose founder and executive director is Nadège T. Clitandre, a poet and postdoctoral fellow in UCSB's Department of English and Center for Black Studies Research, builds and develops community-centered public libraries and museums in the small Caribbean nation. These facilities serve as safe havens for the nurturing of education and democracy. The Bibliotheque du Soleil, Haiti Soleil's main library in Port-au-Prince, was destroyed in last month's devastating earthquake.

The reading is sponsored by the Department of English and Center for Black Studies Research at UCSB, and the Creative Writing Program and Black Student Union at SBCC. The Fé Bland Forum is located on the college's West Campus, 721 Cliff Drive.

Questions should be directed to David Starkey at starkeyd@sbcc.edu

or (805) 965-0581, ext. 2345; or Nadège T. Clitandre at nclitandre@cbs.ucsb.edu or (805) 893-3914.