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Women on the Line 2015 poster

“Women on the Line” Draws Students, Local Poets Together in Support of My Sister’s Place


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Regional poets from Ohio and West Virginia have collaborated with graphic design students from Ohio University to produce “Women on the Line,” an event to raise awareness for My Sister’s Place, a local domestic violence shelter. Six poets will host a reading of their work at Stuart’s Opera House 1812 Gallery in Nelsonville on Friday as a part of Final Fridays on the Square. The reading will be held in conjunction with the opening of a poster exhibit of selected poems designed by OU students.

The exhibit opens at 5:30 p.m. The reading will be held from 6-7:15 p.m., and gallery doors remain open until 9:30 p.m. The posters will be displayed at Stuart’s Opera House throughout April in celebration of National Poetry Month

Kate Fox, who organized the first Women on the Line in 2012, will host the poetry reading, which features area poets Cheryl Denise, Diane Gilliam, Crystal Good, Wendy McVicker and Edwina Pendarvis.

”This is such a unique opportunity for the students, who gain valuable project experience and community visibility with these posters, while the poets have the honor of their work being shared with the public,” she said.

“But most important to me are the poets publicly giving voice to issues of economic and social concern that affect all of us — especially women and children—sometimes in devastating ways. Women on the Line participants believe that there’s power in speaking up and speaking out — power in creating understanding and empathy.”

Molly Schoenhoff, OU lecturer in graphic design and co-coordinator of the event, said that Women on the Line offers her students and the public a unique experience of poetry. This year she is working with undergraduates Aaron Brown, Alexander Calmus, Andrew Doherty, Eli Flannagan, Kelsey Hanson, Michael Jung, Elijah Justice, Katie Mallow, Olivia Mayfield, Nathalie McClune, Shulamit Medovoy, Nasra Mohamed, Taylor Reeves, Euzhan Shabazz, Laurel Sira, Kailee Slusser, Kaleigh Sutherland, Ye Tian, Evan Taylor, Amber Vandyke, and Zhizhen Xiong. Graduate students Mohammad Farhang and Tiansen Wu are also participating.

The reading and exhibit are free and open to the public. Donations for My Sister’s Place will be accepted at the opening.