Projects: Humanities Live: Pennsylvania Poets

Broadcast Premiere: Wednesday, May 14, 9:00 p.m.


Pictured above: (top to bottom): Jeanne Murray Walker, Trapeta Mayson, Jim Daniels. Walker and Mayson photos by Jeff Hurwitz
The significant impact of Pennsylvania's diverse cultures on artists is embodied by three celebrated poets: Jeanne Murray Walker, Trapeta Mayson and Jim Daniels. They talk about their careers and their work and share it with the audience in a live poetry workshop.

Former Pew and NEA fellow Jeanne Murray Walker has published six poetry collections and been featured in hundreds of anthologies and journals, including American Poetry Review and The Nation. Her work also has appeared on buses and trains through the Poetry in Motion program. Walker serves on the editorial board of Shenandoah and teaches poetry and script writing at the University of Delaware. She also is a playwright and has had work produced in the U.S. and London.

A native of Liberia, Trapeta Mayson has published in Panorama Poetry Journal, Defiance Literary Journal, Aura and Drumvoices 2000 Poetry Anthology. She has received fellowships from Pew and PCA and has had artist residencies at Philadelphia's Art Sanctuary and the Callallo Creative Writing Workshop at the University of Virginia. Mayson regularly conducts poetry workshops in Philadelphia. She is co-founder of Sisters in Music and Poetry.

Jim Daniels is the author of eight books of poetry including Show & Tell: New and Collected Poems, which was a finalist for the 2004 Paterson Poetry Prize. His most recent work is Street, a collection of poems with photos by Charlee Brodsky. His poems have appeared in the Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry anthologies. He has received fellowships from the NEA and PCA. Daniels teaches English and creative writing at Carnegie Mellon University.

Additional Resources

Pennsylvania Poetry

General Poetry