The International Women’s Day Poetry Reading happened on March 8 from 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. on Zoom. Here are some of the highlights and photos of la noche de poesía. Words by Nurehşan Guneri, the Intercultural Dialogue Student Association President, the first woman ISDA president, and a recent graduate of UMKC.
"Intercultural Dialogue Student Association is dedicated to celebrating diversity. We bring together students from multiple backgrounds, cultures, religions, countries, languages and more to get to know each other and learn about our similarities and differences while creating peace together. International Women’s Day has celebrated women’s accomplishments worldwide for more than a hundred years. Thus, our Intercultural Dialogue Student Association International Women’s Day Celebration each year is key in celebrating what and who we stand for. "
"Tonight, in order to celebrate International Women’s Day, we have a poetry reading by our distinguished poets. I would like to share the names of our sponsors and co-sponsors. Our event is sponsored by the UMKC Intercultural Dialogue Student Association and the Kansas City Branch of the Dialogue Institute of the Southwest, which is a nonprofit organization in the Greater Kansas City Area and their executive director is Dr. Eyyup Esen. As well, the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, in addition to the Women’s Center, are co-sponsoring and their program coordinator is Ms. Chelsie Duckworth."
“Annette Hope Billings is an award-winning writer, fondly referred to by her readers as "Maya of the Midwest," Annette Hope Billings holds poetry nearest to her heart. She began writing full-time in 2015 after four decades of being a registered nurse. Her first collection of poetry, A Net Full of Hope, won the 2015 ArtsConnect ARTY Award in Literature. She has written three collections of poetry, her most recent being Just Shy of Stars (Spartan Press). She holds a special interest in new poets and has co-hosted a monthly open mic, Speak Easy Poets, now in its tenth year. Her work can also be found in several anthologies and in print and online publications.”
