Megan Timmens, Calvert Library

Proposed event: An Evening of Russian Poetry at Twin Beaches Library

Need for the program: April is National Poetry Month. Poetry promotes literacy, builds
community, and nurtures personal expression and imagination. It can also be a good way to
learn about other cultures and/or meet people in the community from different cultures. An
Evening of Russian Poetry will foster cultural understanding through literature.
Potential community partners:

Russian/post-soviet expat community

Russian language scholars/students/speakers
Poetry/Writing club at Northern High School
MD Humanities Council
Russian Maryland Cultural Center (in Columbia MD)

Steps necessary for setting up the event: We will create a flyer in Russian and English. The
event will be a reading of Russian poetry first in Russian, then in English. Not much set-up is
required. Russian style tea and cookies will be served, with a brief explanation of Russian Tea
Service. The poets and readers will be introduced before each poem, so we will have a Master
of Ceremonies.
Supplies needed: Tea, sugar, lemon, cream, teacups
Cookies, plates, napkins
A printed program
Books with Russian poetry in the original and translations
Poetry and Russian history books available for checkout
How it will be evaluated: We will invite the attendees to give feedback on the event to let us
know if it was a positive experience. Since Twin Beaches is a small library, an event with a
limited number of attendees is ok. I think the best measure of success is when people leave an
event asking, when can we do this again?
How does this event fit into our librarys mission? The event serves as a community gathering
place to celebrate beautifully spoken Russian poetry and socialize with like-minded people. Its
also a lifelong learning opportunity for people who may have an interest in Russian culture or
poetry in general. An Evening of Russian Poetry, of course, promotes reading and literacy.

Press release:
This April, celebrate National Poetry Month with Russian poetry. Calvert Library invites you to
An Evening of Russian Poetry on Thursday, April 16th, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. The event is free.

Megan Timmens, Calvert Library

Learn about Russias rich poetic tradition from the Golden and Silver Ages. A selection of
poetry will be presented from beloved poets like Pushkin, Akhmatova, and Blok. Readings will
be in Russian and English, with a short discussion about each poet. Russian tea and cookies will
be served.
Note at the bottom of the news release whether you would also use any social networks to
promote the event, and if so, which ones and how far in advance?
Most of our events are promoted through word of mouth. My supervisor has several Russian
friends so we would start there. I am hosting an exchange student from a Russian speaking
country; another exchange student from the same program also lives in Calvert County so I
would invite her to recite some poetry. However, I would promote the event through Calvert
Library Facebook and Twitter accounts at least one month before the event, then the week of
the event.