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Dodge Poetry

Dodge Poetry – a new collaboration with NJPAC that celebrates poetry as a catalyst for communities to advance social change. 

The Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) launched Dodge Poetry – a new collaboration that celebrates poetry as a catalyst for communities to advance social change. 

Read the full announcement.

Through this initiative, Dodge Poetry expands beyond the biennial festival to include year-long programming in Newark. Dodge Poetry events will have three goals to:  

  1. Mobilize communities and fuel movements for social change; 
  2. Amplify poet activists who challenge and reframe existing narratives and norms; and  
  3. Create spaces for empathy, healing, and repair for individuals who have experienced systemic racism.  

Building on 40 years of poetry programming, the new collaboration between NJPAC and the Dodge Foundation will extend the footprint of Dodge Poetry across the entire city of Newark. The series of events are designed to engage and activate residents, young people, and community partners, and to highlight the intersection of poetry and social justice.

To help shape and guide the events and strategy over the year, Dodge Poetry has convened an advisory committee of award-winning poets and activists.  

Other events during the year included:   

  • Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite (January 26, 2024) — A celebration of the centennial of Max Roach – drummer, bebop pioneer, and civil rights activist – who explored social justice issues and racial inequality through the lens of jazz and poetry.  
  • A special screening of Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, included a discussion with the filmmaker, Michèle Stephenson (March 27, 2024).
  • Nuyorican Poets Cafe @ Dodge Poetry – Celebrated the legacy of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (July 20, 2024)
  • Young People and Community Engagement: Rutgers University-Newark Partnership – A project with local Newark partners and community, along with well-known and emerging poets, to provide a forum for young people to address social justice issues.
  • Dodge Poetry Festival – The Festival returned October 17-19, 2024 with performances, readings, and special programs designed to build a community of poets and communities mobilizing for racial and social justice, repair, and healing. 

More information about Dodge Poetry, upcoming shows, and events can be found at: njpac.org/dodgepoetry. You can also sign up at njpac.org to receive updates and announcements by selecting “poetry, spoken word.”

Dodge Poetry will continue to be guided by the core values that have been part of our work for decades. We are committed to uplifting underrepresented poets, ensuring fair compensation and economic resilience for them, and fostering deep partnerships to make poetry accessible and inclusive to all.