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Community Corner

Caponi Art Park Offers Teen Poetry Programming Coordinated by Peers

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Caponi Art Park and Learning Center will host a poetry workshop and spoken word slam for aspiring teen poets in collaboration with the School of Environmental Studies and Dakota County Library.

Continuing a nine-year partnership, Caponi Art Park is working with two senior students at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley to coordinate teen poetry programming. Organizing the poetry program at Caponi Art Park fills a senior capstone requirement for the students, who also gain real-world experience with arts administration, event planning, and marketing.

As part of the poetry program, Caponi Art Park and Learning Center will host a poetry performance workshop on Monday, April 30 from 4-6 p.m. at the Wescott Library in Eagan. In Frankenstein: Bring Your Words to Life, HBO Def Poet and slam champion Thadra Sheridan will teach the art of breathing life into the written word. Teens will explore the world of slam poetry and learn how to transform written poetry into stage performance. The workshop is free, with a $5 requested donation. Please call 651-454-9412 to register.

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This year, Caponi Art Park and the will combine their teen poetry slams into one event on Sunday, May 13 in Caponi Art Park’s Theater in the Woods outdoor amphitheater. Poets in the Park Teen Poetry Slam will feature a spoken-word poetry competition emceed by slam master Cynthia French, break dancing by Minneapolis-based New Heist Crew and an awards ceremony for Dakota County Library’s written poetry competition. All are welcome to watch the slam from 2-4 p.m. Teens ages 12-19 are invited to perform and can register from 1:30-2 p.m. at the event.

Jenna Strank is communications coordinator for Caponi Art Park and Learning Center.

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