University of Pittsburgh to Present Performance Poet Jean 'Binta' Breeze  

PITTSBURGH-Acclaimed "dub" poet Jean 'Binta' Breeze will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 21 in the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health Auditorium, Room G-23, Parran Hall, 130 DeSoto St., Oakland. Breeze, a Jamaican-British performance poet, is widely known as the first female reggae, or "dub," poet. Her performance features a dynamic fusion of poetry and acting, music, and dance. The event is free and open to the public.

Breeze is a recent recipient of a National Endowment for Science, Technology, and the Arts fellowship in Britain. Her books of poetry include Riddym Ravings and Other Poems (Race Today Publications, 1988), Spring Cleaning (Virago, 1992), and The Arrival of Brighteye and Other Poems (Bloodaxe, 2000). Breeze recently completed her first novel, The Fifth Figure: A Poet's Tale (Bloodaxe Books, 2007). She also has appeared on the HBO program Def Poetry.

Shalini Puri, associate professor in Pitt's Department of English, organized the performance, which is sponsored by a Global Academic Partnership Grant (GAP). First launched in fall of 2001, GAP is an initiative of Pitt's Global Studies Program within the University Center for International Studies and the Office of the Provost.

Parking is available behind the Graduate School of Public Health, on O'Hara Street, and in the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall garage on Bigelow Boulevard. For more information, contact Pitt's Department of English at 412-624-6506.

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