Poet Bob Holman at Art Catalogues

Poet Bob Holman, founder and artistic director of the Bowery Poetry Club and host of On the Road with Bob Holman, a three-part series on endangered languages, investigates oral traditions and their relationship to hip-hop, slam, and spoken word. Holman has released two CDs and has published thirteen books of poetry, including his most recent, A Couple of Ways of Doing Something, a collaboration with Chuck Close. Bob will perform with the griot Karamo Susso, who will play the kora, the twenty-one-stringed harp lute of West Africa. Griots were traditionally those whose place in the culture it was to sing the epics of heroes, carry news, celebrate traditional ceremonies, and relate histories.

Art Catalogues Bookstore, Ahmanson Buildling, Level 1 | Free, no reservations | Seating is limited | Drinks and appetizers will be served | Call 323 857-6587 or email artcatalogues@lacma.org to pre-order signed copies.

Image: © Chuck Close