15th Annual All Star Labor Poetry & Music:
A Tribute to Bernard Firestone

October 21, 2005 at 7:30pm

Don’t Miss This One Folks! Last year’s Firestone Labor Arts’ Tribute took the roof off the Scarab Club. In an attempt to take the movement further and the program higher, we have lined up a very eclectic mix of poets, singer- songwriters and fiction writers for your delight. This year’s event will take place October 21, 2005 at 7:30pm (in conjunction with Wayne State University’s Annual Labor History Conference) at The Scarab Club. It is sponsored by The Wayne State University School of Labor Studies, The Springfed Arts: Metro Detroit Writers Organization, Poets & Writers, Inc. of New York, NY, The Wayne State Chapter of the AAUP/AFT Union and The Scarab Club. The scheduled featured artists this year will be:

Allison Adelle Hedge Coke (SD) is an acclaimed Native American writer, labor activist and the award winning author of Dog Road Woman: Poems, (winner of the 1998 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation). Hedge Coke’s memoir, Rock, Ghost, Willow, Deer, was published earlier this year by Bison Books of the University of Nebraska Press and her collection of poetry Off-Season City Pipe is forthcoming with Coffee House Press. She is currently on faculty at Northern Michigan University serving in both their MFA Program and their Native American Studies Department.

Anne Feeney (PA) has traveled to the frontlines in 40 states, Canada, Mexico, Ireland and Sweden. Her anthem “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” is being performed by Peter, Paul and Mary. Dubbed the “minister of culture” to the movements for economic and social justice and human rights, Anne is “the best labor singer in North America” according to Utah Phillips. Also, she was a friend and worked in solidarity with Bernie Firestone.

Jan Beatty (PA) is a major labor and working class poet from Pittsburgh and author of two collections of poetry: Boneshaker (2002) and Mad River (winner of the 1994 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize.) Both books were published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Her honors include the State Street Chapbook Prize and Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry.

Mark Nowak (MN) Nowak is the author of the new book of poetry about labor and the working class entitled Shut Up! Shut Down! (Coffeehouse Press) and the critically acclaimed debut book of poems Revenants. He is the editor of Xcp: Cross Cultural Poetics, and the co-editor of Visit Teepee Town: Native Writings After the Detours. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he teaches at the College of St. Catherine and is active in the labor movement.

Corey Dolgon (MA) is a Boston area Sociologist and Folksinger who has been involved in community and labor organizing for over 20 years. He tours the country with his “singing lecture” entitled, Commonwealth of Toil: Folksongs and the U.S. Labor Movement,” and is author of recently published book, The End of the Hamptons: Scenes from the Class Struggle in America’s Paradise.

Janine Pommy Vega (NY) is key figure in the later Beat Generation and the author of twelve and included in The Beat Anthology, City Lights Books; Women of the Beat Generation, Conari Press; and A Different Beat, High Risk Books. She recorded her poetry and memoir of the Beats for Audio Literature’s spoken word version of Women of the Beat Generation. Her two newest books from Godine Publishers are The Green Piano: Poems (2005) and Mad Dogs at The Café Trieste (2002).

Kaleema Hassan (Detroit) is a well-known, long time Detroit poet whose poetry involves issues of women’s rights, the working class and the struggle of justice in the community. She currently teaches school in the city of Detroit.

Once again the program will be hosted by its founder WSU Faculty Member & Director of Springfed Arts: Metro Detroit Writers M.L. Liebler. This event is FREE and Open to the public. Come early as it was standing room only last fall. The Scarab Club is located at 217 E. Farnsworth at John R Directly behind the Detroit Institute of Arts (313)831-1250 for directions. For more information, visit www.detroitpoetrynow.org or www.springfed.org