Event Title: Traveling Stanzas Interactive Exhibit
Description: With support from the John S and James L Knight Foundation, the Wick Poetry Center’s Traveling Stanzas interactive exhibit allows users to browse poems and videos from the refugee and immigrant community in Akron, OH. Through Emerge ™, the Center’s app, users contribute their own stanza to an AWP Community Poem around socially relevant themes. Traveling Stanzas celebrates the diverse cultural identity of our democracy and engages AWP participants in a national civic dialogue through the intimate and inclusive voice of poetry. Visit www.travelingstanzas.com.
Location: Room 2, Tampa Convention Center, First Floor
Date & Time: Thursday–Saturday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.      

Q: What new understanding of knowledge will attendees walk away from your event with?
A: Writing Across Borders interactive exhibit will experience short videos, posters, and photographs that give a human face and voice to the issue of how we welcome newcomers to our country. Visitors will view original poetry written by adult and children refugee and immigrants and get a chance to interact with cutting-edge digital tools and applications that can turn any classroom or workshop into a creative studio. Using texts meaningful to our community (writers, educators, advocates) our exhibit will help participants make meaning of relevant topics and issues and discover new ways to write individual and community poems.

Q: What are some of the conference events or Bookfair exhibitors you look forward to seeing?
A: We’re looking forward to many of the readings, panels, and bookfair exhibits, especially reconnecting with our friends at the conference.

Q: What book or books that you’ve read over the last year would you most highly recommend?
A: Books we love this year are Christine Gosnay’s Even Years, Danez Smith’s Don’t Call Us Dead, and Layli Long Soldier’s Whereas.