‘The Poetry of Jazz’ by Philip Levine and Benjamin Boone ranked #3 Jazz Album of the Year by Downbeat Magazine

Philip Levine, Benjamin Boone and the band in the studio

What started as a jazz project between two Fresno State colleagues has earned the respect of Downbeat Magazine readers who rank “The Poetry of Jazz” the number three Jazz Album of the Year in the 2018 Readers Poll. The poll results appeared in the December 2018 issue and praised the performance of Pulitzer-winning poet laureate […]

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Juan Felipe Herrera exhibition, catalog celebrates Laureate’s journey across America

Associate Dean Honora Chapman (right) toasts Juan Felipe Herrera

The Center for Creativity and the Arts and the Department of Art and Design paid tribute to Juan Felipe Herrera’s two-term tenure as poet laureate of the United States in an exhibition titled “Magnifying the People’s Voice: A Laureate’s Journey Across America” and with the publication of a companion catalog, documenting the work was on display in the exhibition

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Remembering, honoring Poet Laureate Philip Levine

Philip Levine

California State University, Fresno continues to find new ways to honor the late U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and professor emeritus of English, more than two years after his death. In May 2017, Fresno State dedicated the new Philip Levine Reading Room inside the Henry Madden Library, a room that now houses Levine’s extensive collection of more than 2,000 books. Levine’s wife, Frances, donated their personal library, a gift made to inspire future generations of poets and readers.

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Summer Arts culminates in Student Showcases

Lauren Lavin presents at the Hybrid Poetics Student Showcase.

 Photo above by Todd Sharp: Lauren Lavin reads her poem during the Hybrid Poetics and Narratives Student Showcase. ~ By Lisa Maria Boyles, communications specialist for the College of Arts and Humanities Summer Arts is sparking a fire at Fresno State. The month-long festival is transforming more than 400 students from Fresno and beyond. Summer […]

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Laureate Lab: spaces for creativity — 4 poet laureates at open house

~ By Tom Uribes, reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com For the past year, Fresno State has been hatching a unique project with one of its most famous sons, United States Poet Laureate-emeritus Juan Felipe Herrera – the Laureate Lab Visual Words Studio located in the Henry Madden Library. Opened in the fall, the Lab has undergone a […]

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Celebrations set for U.S. Poet Laureate Emeritus Herrera May 9 and 11

~ Reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com Two events honoring Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Emeritus, are scheduled for this week at Fresno State. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in the Concert Hall, the Fresno State Chamber Singers will reprise a command performance from their recent trip to Washington, D.C., where they performed for […]

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Fresno State to dedicate Philip Levine Reading Room

Poet Philip Levine

~ By Jefferson Beavers, reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com Fresno State will mark the opening of the Philip Levine Reading Room inside its Henry Madden Library with a dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 5. The dedication will be co-hosted by the College of Arts and Humanities, the library and Fresno State Provost Lynnette Zelezny. The ceremony […]

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Chamber Singers help Library of Congress honor U.S. Poet Laureate Herrera in Washington, D.C.

Chamber Singers in Washington DC

Here is the video from this today’s performance (event begins at about 7 minutes): Here is the video from the evening performance (event begins at about 3:30 minutes): Photo: The Fresno State Chamber Singers rehearse with Dr. Benjamin Boone ahead of their performance at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on April 26 in celebration of U.S. […]

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A life-changing photo exhibition 46 years in the making

A long time ago, while he was a 21-year-old social anthropology student at UCLA, Juan Felipe Herrera embarked on a journey to Mexico to meet his people. It would change his life. “My interests had to do with the question of identity, endangered indigenous cultures and social change,” Herrera said. “It was also part of my […]

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New exhibition shows poet laureate Herrera’s indigenous perspective

~ By Tom Urubes, Reprinted from FresnoStateNews.com (September 30, 2016) ̶ A new exhibition featuring U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera that celebrates Mexico’s indigenous diaspora in the Central Valley will launch from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at the M Street Graduate Studios (1419 M St.) in downtown Fresno. Fresno State’s Center […]

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