Felipe Luciano at The Avenue: Healing is Art

Felipe Luciano will intersperse a selection of iconic original poems with insights on art and healing drawn from his history as an activist for social justice, community empowerment, and ethnic pride. Following his presentation, he will be joined in conversation by theatre and film artist David Shakes, founder of the Rochester-based North Star Players. Q & A with the audience and a guest appearance by a local spoken word celebrity will close out the evening.

Born in 1947 in East Harlem, New York City, Felipe Luciano is a prominent, dynamic Afro-Puerto Rican public figure in the Latino community and one of its foremost activists, pundits, lecturers, writers and journalists. He was a founding member of The Original Last Poets, the first of several Last Poets Black power-era poets and musicians mentored by Amiri Baraka. Critic Jason Ankeny wrote, “With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, The Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop.”

Luciano is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reporter and was the first Puerto Rican news anchor of a major media network station at WNBC-TV New York. In 1969, he co-founded and served as chairman of New York City’s Young Lords Party. He currently hosts “Latin Roots” on WBAI in New York, which he originally founded and produced in 1972 as the nation’s first English language program to feature Latin culture and music and to develop an ethnically and racially diverse audience.

In-person, free & open to the public |  The Avenue Blackbox Theatre

6:30 pm: Mingle and enjoy video and audio clips of The Last Poets

7 pm: Feature talk & reading, followed by facilitated conversation and Q &A

Event sponsors: Mary Widger and The Avenue Blackbox Theatre

To RSVP, go to avenueblackbox.eventbrite.com.