January 21, 1997

Contact: Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189

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DC Student Poets To Be Honored at Center for the Book Event

Fifteen students from Washington, D.C., public schools whose poems are currently appearing on "Metro Muse" posters in Metrorail stations throughout the city will read their poems at the Library of Congress on Jan. 27. Sponsored by the Library's Center for the Book, the program will take place at 5 p.m. in Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E. The program is open to the public.

The young poets, grades 4 through 11, are part of the District Lines Poetry project, which celebrates creativity and arts education in the nation's capital. Their posters, located on ten Metrorail platforms, mark the first time that poetry has been showcased on the rail platforms.

The District Lines Poetry project operates under the auspices of the Federation of Friends of the DC Public Library. In addition to the Center for the Book, project sponsors are the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts/National Endowment for the Arts, the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C., and the Jenny McKean Moore Fund for Writers. Assistance also comes from the D.C. WritersCorps, D.C. Reading Is Fundamental, and Barnes & Noble.

For information about the District Lines Poetry Project, contact Laurie Stroblas, P.O. Box 32105, Washington, D.C. 20007.

The Center for the Book was established in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books, reading, and libraries. Its projects are supported by private contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations.

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PR 97-11
1/21/97
ISSN 0731-3527