A gifted poet with a distinguished career was awarded a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship this week. Hayan Charara returns to Detroit as part of the Woodward Line Poetry Series. Cave Canem Fellow Christina Archer and Kevin Rashid a poet who manages the Wayne State University Honors Program round out the reading. The Woodward Line Poetry Series for December takes place Wednesday, December 17 at 7:00 PM at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD) 4454 Woodward Avenue Detroit. This free event is supported in part by Poets and Writers Inc.

Hayan Charara is the author of two books of poetry, The Alchemist’s Diary and The Sadness of Others. His poetry has appeared in numerous publications, among them Chelsea, Cream City Review, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and the anthology American Poetry: The Next Generation. Born in Detroit, he lived for many years in New York City before moving to Texas. “Hayan drew attention early on,” said Kim Hunter, Woodward Line Co-director. “He produced work that was mature beyond his years and managed to publish anthologies with greats like Amiri Baraka, Allen Ginsberg, Philip Levine and Naomi Shihab Nye. “

Charara‚s NEA Fellowship is a $25,000 award, given to encourage the production of new work and allow writers the time and means to write. The Fellowship is another highpoint in a career that includes a 2006 National Book Award nomination for his book of verse, The Sadness of Others.

Write Word, Write Now founder, Christina M. Archer received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marine Biology and is a Cave Canem Fellow. She was an assistant coach to the Detroit Poetry Slam team in 2003 and the head coach in both 2004 and 2005. She also mentors youth two after school poetry programs. InsideOut Literary Arts Project’s City Wide Poets, and Leaps and Bounds in the city of Warren.

Kevin Rashid manages Wayne State University‚s Honors College and the Office of Undergraduate Research. He teaches creative writing and his poems have appeared in several books: Inclined to Speak, Abandon Automobile: Detroit City 2001; Arab Detroit: from Margins to Mainstream and various journals.