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God's Trombones: A Celebration of James Weldon Johnson

A dramatic performance of James Weldon Johnson's important poetic work, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse.

Dates & Times

February 16, 2009 @ 7:00 pm

Admission

Free and open to the public

Donations of canned goods will be accepted at this event to support area food banks.

Sponsors

Red Circle Sponsor

William and Hazel Hough 3

Event Sponsors

USF St. Petersburg

Florida Humanities Council

The Tampa Bay Writers Network (TBWN) will join the Studio@620 to celebrate the life, art, and activism of Florida native James Weldon Johnson with a dramatic performance of his important poetic work, God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse. The date honors Black History Month and commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP. Johnson served as the organization’s Executive Secretary from 1920 to 1930.

Expect the unexpected

God’s Trombones is the perfect nexus for several disciplines across the humanities: poetry, oral traditions, history, religion, music, and visual art. In keeping with the Studio@620’s other multi-media projects, this event will provide diverse activities:

  • Individual readings of the volume’s poems by local actors, poets, and ministers: Bob Devin Jones, Studio@620; Leroy Mitchell, actor, Johnson performer; Louis Murphy, minister; John Conlon, actor; Aleshea Harris, actor, poet; Sharon Scott, actor; Vikki Gaskin-Butler, professor, minister.
  • Trombone/musical interludes by Buster Cooper.
  • Visual renderings along the walls of the Aaron Douglas images that accompany the first (1927) edition of Johnson’s text .
  • Discussion period/question-and-answer session following the performance with Humanities scholar Dr. Julie Buckner Armstrong, USFSP.

Learn More

See all of the original illustrations and read the accompanying text online by clicking here.

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