DURHAM -- The Durham Arts Council will present poet Jaki Shelton Green, the 2009 Piedmont Laureate, at the Piedmont restaurant for the first annual Word Tasting on Oct. 8 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Green will read selections of her poetry and visit with restaurant patrons during the lunch hour at the Piedmont, 401 Foster St. in downtown Durham, to celebrate Arts & Humanities Month. Green will also be at the Peace Street Starbucks in Raleigh for the breakfast hour from 8 to 9 a.m., and at Mama Dip's Kitchen, 408 W. Rosemary St. in Chapel Hill for dinner, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
To attend the Word Tasting, customers simply plan to have a meal at one of the participating restaurants during the scheduled appearance time. There is no additional charge.
The Piedmont Laureate Program and the annual Word Tasting is sponsored by the Durham Arts Council, the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County and the Orange County Arts Commission.
"We launched the program to remind people how much they enjoy the literary arts, even in casual settings," said Sherry DeVries, Executive Director of the Durham Arts Council. "Since our region is so rich in talented authors and talented chefs, we created an event that brought those communities together. October is Arts and Humanities Month, and the Word Tasting will be one of the first celebrations."
The Piedmont Laureate program is dedicated to "building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing, enriching the lives of all our citizens." The Laureate Program, in 2010, will expand to five counties -- Alamance, Durham, Johnston, Orange, and Wake -- and will be selecting an area novelist for the focus of the program in the coming year. For more information visit www.piedmontlaureate.com.
For more information about the Piedmont Laureate Word Tasting at the Piedmont, call Margaret DeMott, director of artist services for Durham Arts Council, (919) 560-2720.
