Open to Public
When Poetry Visits
Free Event
Sat, May 18.2024
A book event celebrating and honoring Laura Rothenberg and her posthumously published volume of poems, When Poetry Visits, featuring live readings by actors Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black, Dear Edward), Debra Winger(Terms of Endearment, Rachel Getting Married), Arliss Howard (Full Metal Jacket, Mank), and Babe Howard (Lapsis, With/In).
The poems in this new collection are a meditation on themes such as illness, friendship, family, death, lost innocence, survivor’s guilt, and transcendence by a talented young poet who experienced and endured more in her short life than most people do by old age.
Laura Rothenberg (1981-2003) was born in New York City. At three days old, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a progressive genetic disease that impacts the lungs, pancreas, and other organs. In spite of many physical difficulties, she lived selflessly and courageously, always helping friends and people she met, often putting their needs before her own. In her posthumously-published memoir Breathing for a Living, Laura depicted her journey to receive the double-lung transplant, as well as the difficult road that followed it. An avid writer of poetry for much of her life, Laura’s final wish was for her poems to be published one day. When Poetry Visits fulfills Laura's wish, revealing new dimensions of her writing, and showing how vigorously and passionately she lived, examined, and expressed her life in the face of her impending death.
Learn more about and purchase Laura Rothenberg's book, When Poetry Visits: https://www.codhill.com/product/when-poetry-visits/
Cast Members
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Taylor Schilling
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Debra Winger
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Arliss Howard
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Babe Howard
Explore Projects
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Pandemic & Climate CrisisPoetry for the PandemicUsing poetry as a catalyst for an Intergenerational performance and discussion during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Caregiving & DeathTheater of War FrontlineTheater of War Frontline is an innovative project—developed by Theater of War Productions, the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Johns Hopkins Program in Arts, Humanities & Health—that presents dramatic readings by acclaimed actors of scenes from ancient Greek plays for audiences of frontline medical professionals to open up powerful dialogue about difficult subjects, fostering a sense of connection and promoting health-seeking behavior. By presenting ancient plays to doctors, nurses, EMTs, respiratory therapists, and the frontline community about emotionally-charged, ethically complex situations, Theater of War Frontline aims to create a brave space for open, candid dialogue and reflection, fostering compassion, a renewed sense of community, and positive action.
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Addiction & Substance AbuseRum and VodkaThis project presents a one-man Irish play about a 24-year-old whose life is coming apart, due to drinking, in order to provoke discussions about alcoholism and addiction within diverse communities.