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Library to celebrate National Poetry Month April 22 with Colorado Poet Laureate Bobby LeFebre

Bobby LeFebre brings his poetry to a virtual program for the Longmont Library on April 22.
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Colorado Poet Laureate Bobby Lefebre will celebrate National Poetry Month during a Longmont Public Libraryvirtual event on April 22. (Courtesy photo)

NEWS RELEASE
LONGMONT PUBLIC LIBRARY
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April is National Poetry Month, and this year is extra special because it’s the 25th anniversary of that designation. To help give poetry its due, Colorado Poet Laureate Bobby LeFebre has partnered with the Longmont Public Library for a program honoring poetry's place in the human experience.

This unique program will start with a virtual "open house" at 6:30 p.m. April 22, followed by an introductory guest reader, then a reading performance by LeFebre, and concluding with a Q & A period.

Bobby LeFebre is an award-winning writer, performer, and cultural worker fusing a non-traditional multi-hyphenated professional identity to imagine new realities, empower communities, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transformation, equity and social change.  His work has appeared in The New York Times, Huffington Post, The Guardian, American Theater Magazine, NPR, and Poets.Org.

In 2004, LeFebre co-founded a now transitioned award-winning nonprofit organization, Cafe Cultura, which was dedicated to utilizing poetry as a tool for youth literacy and educational and cultural development. Café Cultura used spoken word workshops, classes, and open mics to hold space for, center, and uplift marginalized voices — specifically Latinx and indigenous voices — across the Denver Metro area.

LeFebre is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam Finalist, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and a two-time TEDx speaker.  He has performed at hundreds of cultural events, social actions, detention centers, conferences, and colleges and universities across the United States and abroad.

Holding a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Metropolitan University of Denver and a master’s degree in art, literature and culture from the University of Denver, LeFebre is a fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Advocacy Institute, and the Intercultural Leadership Institute. 

LeFebre received the Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Community Award, the MSU Distinguished Alumni Award, the MSU Chicano Studies Award for Commitment to Education, the MSU Statement Maker Award, and was named one of Colorado’s top creatives by Westword Magazine.

In 2017, LeFebre was appointed by the mayor of Denver to serve a two-year term as co-chair of the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs.  Currently, LeFebre serves as a board member for the Clyfford Still Museum, an advisory council member for the Latino Cultural Arts Center, an advisor for the Mayor’s Denver Institute of Equity and Reconciliation,  and a founding member of Interfest Denver.

LeFebre wrote the award-winning play, "Northside," which was applauded as one of the most successful local theater productions in Denver’s history.  Premiering at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, the production intimately addressed the conflict of gentrification in Denver.

The production sold out an unprecedented 30 shows, with over 10,000 people attending. LeFebre stated "Northside" served as "an unapologetic celebration of cultural preservation and permanence and a eulogy to things lost." He called it "an urban-colloquial story of power and privilege, unflinching love, and the innate human need to belong somewhere."  The production led to LeFebre being named Colorado Theatre Person of the Year.

In 2019, Gov. Jared Polis named LeFebre Colorado’s eighth poet laureate, making him the youngest and first-ever person of color to be appointed to the prestigious position in the program’s 100-year history.

This program is best for adults and older teens, will be held via Webex, and is free to the public.

Registration is required and is limited to 195 participants. Once registered, participants will receive an email confirmation with information on how to join the Webex meeting. Register here.

Unable to attend? This program may be recorded and posted to our YouTube playlist and on our Watch Recent Programs page.

The library is celebrating #NationalPoetryMonth all month. Watch for fun activities, trivia, and social media posts. Have a favorite poem to share? Send it to the Library at library.marketing@longmontcolorado.gov.

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