Alison Hedge Coke
Reynolds Endowed Chair, 308.865.8672
UNK– Quincy Troupe, author of “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and his wife, Margaret Porter Troupe, will present a workshop for aspiring writers, discussion and children’s book reading on Thursday, April 1, at the Museum of Nebraska Art.
The events, which are part of the third annual Sandhill Crane Migration Literary Retreat and Festival, will take place from noon-3 p.m. at the museum.
“Troupe and his wife Porter-Troupe will be discussing their writing on observing the Sandhill Cranes and milestones within their careers,” said Allison Hedge Coke, University of Nebraska at Kearney Endowed Paul W. and Clarice Kingston Reynolds Chair of Poetry and Writing.
Troupe will present “Study with a Master Writers Workshop” from noon-1 p.m. in the MONA Program Room. The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 31. Individuals register by contacting Hedge Coke at 308.865.8672 orhedgecokeaa@unk.edu. The registration fee is $40 for the public, and $30 for UNK students.
At 2 p.m. Troupe will read his children’s books, “Little Stevie Wonder” and “Take it to the Hoop, Magic Johnson.” The readings, which will take place in the MONA Brick Gallery, are free and open to the public. There will be a book sale and signing after Troupe’s readings.
“He is the author of 17 books, including eight volumes of poetry, two children’s books and the ‘New York Times’ best-selling book, ‘The Pursuit of Happyness,’ which was made into a film starring Will Smith,” Hedge Coke said.
Troupe, professor emeritus from the University of California, San Diego, is the editor of ‘Black Renaissance/ Renaissance Noire,’ a literary journal published by the Institute of Africana Studies at New York University. He has won an Emmy award, two American Book awards, the Peabody award for co-producing and writing the Miles Davis Radio Project, was the first official Poet Laureate of California, and a recipient of the Barnes and Noble Writers for Writers award.
At 1 p.m. Margaret Porter Troupe will present, “Building Community Through the Arts,” in the MONA Brick Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
Porter Troupe was the founding member of New Bones, a coalition of women poets who produced literary events in New York City. Her gallery, the Porter Troupe Gallery in San Diego, Calif., was called “one of the best galleries” in California, because of its roster of contemporary artists, and its use as a forum for poets, writers and musicians to read and perform.
“She founded and was director of VeVe: Visual Environments for Visual Education, which was an after-school program that promoted cultural agility among youth,” Hedge Coke said. “When she returned to New York City, she was the executive director of Harlem Textile Works, a community-based nonprofit arts education program and social enterprise that trained youth in silkscreen printing and graphic design.
“At the same time, Porter Troupe also opened the Harlem Arts Salon where writers, musicians and visual artists could meet and engage their audiences in a setting that recalls the historic salons of the Harlem Renaissance,” Hedge Coke said.
The events are sponsored by Endowed Reynolds Chair, UNK English Department, Country Inn and Suites, The Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Rowe Sanctuary, Alley Rose, Barista’s, Panebello, NET Radio and KGFW Radio.
