As part of the Southcental Kentucky Community and Technical College’s (SKYCTC) celebration of Black History Month the College will host their fifth annual African American Read-in event on Tuesday, Feb. 11 from 12:30 – 2 p.m. at three of the college’s six campus locations.

The event is a NCTE Program Sponsored by the SKYCTC Diversity Team and QEP Committee at the college.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to sign up to read passages from their favorite African American author or poet.

This year’s featured speaker will be Thandiwe Shiphrah, a multidisciplinary artist whose creative practice includes poetry, songwriting, concert recitation, collage, video storytelling, and theater. She performs regularly with musician/composer/visual artist Daniel Arite in an ongoing exploration of the musical properties of language, the poetics of music, and new avenues for telling untold stories. Her arts-based learning and community-building projects are dedicated to inspiring creativity, building bridges across cultural differences, and promoting healthy and harmonious living.

In 2011, she was awarded a Jubilation Foundation Fellowship for her work teaching poetry to young people. In 2002, she created the Line Breaks Literary Reading Series, which has been a driving force for the literary arts in Nashville and is now one of the city's longest running public poetry programs. For more information about her art and activism, visit www.thandiweshiphrah.com .

Shiphrah will speak at the read-in session on the college’s main campus at 1845 Loop Drive in Bowling Green, KY. That session will take place in the Building F conference room. Her theme will be Imagination, Remembrance, and Praise.

Other campus events are as follows:

Glasgow Health Campus in Building D, Room 101, 129 State Ave.

History professor Carroll Williams will host the event. Materials will be provided to guide students through a journey that honors African-American authors. Students will have a chance to read their own work or share a poem or passage from an African-American author.

Franklin-Simpson Center, Student Lounge, 175 Davis Dr.

Professors Jim Turner and Debbie Banks will host the event. Materials will be provided to guide students through a journey that honors African-American authors.

The event is free and open to the public.  For more information we invite you to  contact Esther.French@kctcs.edu  or call 270-901-1185