Maurice Kenny at AICH's Writer's Circle : the people's poetry gathering.

The People's Poetry Gathering, co-sponsored by City Lore and the American Indian Community House Writer's Circle presented an evening of Poetry with Maurice Kenny and members of the Writer's Circle. Work was presented by Barbara Snyder (Paiute), Hortencia Colorado (Otomi/Chichimec), Clifford Bernie (Yankton, Sioux), Pena Bonita (Apache/Seminole), Elvira Colorado (Otomi/Chichimec), and Dean Hutchins (Cherokee). Maurice Kenny (Mohawk) was born in Watertown, NY in 1929 and has been a part of the Native community in New York City for decades. Kenny was educated at Butler University, St. Lawrence University and New York University, where he studied with the eminent American poet, Louise Bogan. In the early to mid-60's he lived in Mexico and the Virgin Islands and moved to Chicago for one year. From Chicago he moved to Brooklyn where he lived until he returned to the Adirondack country of upstate New York. The Writer's Circle was created to encourage Native writers in the community to develop their talent and has received support and guidance from several eminent Native writers such as Maurice Kenny and Simone Ortiz. The American Indian Community House (AICH) is an urban Indian center that services the needs of the Native people living in New York City and welcomes Native visitors to the city. AICH was founded in 1969 and has become a de facto neighborhood serving as a meeting place for the diverse Native community of the New York City area. The Community House offers a variety of services ranging from substance abuse and HIV counseling, to career assistance. It is also home to the only Indian owned and operated art gallery in New York City. The AICHs Performing Arts Department has become an important resource for Native visual and performance artists. Through its programming, performance has become an important educational vehicle, both for the Native and non-Native NY community. The Badger's Corner, initiated in the 1980s, is an education-via-entertainment vehicle for the AICHs visual and performing arts department programs. Taking its name from the Pueblo legend of the four-legged creature who led the Pueblo people out of the underworld after the great flood, the intent of its programming is to inform and challenge people to rethink their concept(s) of Native American people and customs. All performances at AICH are presented under the auspices of the Badgers Corner. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics