April is in full swing and so are the celebrations of Jazz and Poetry! GPB is doing it up big by putting the spotlight on amazing poets and musicians to bring you JAZZoetry Cafe: A Jazz Spot Special, Friday, April 11 at 9 PM on GPB Radio. Masani, Host of The Jazz Spot, will be your guide.

Georgia is rich with homegrown and transplanted talent and you'll hear the evidence of this fact when you visit JAZZoetry Cafe!

Featured poets are Lisa Morris, Christa Hardy, Kenneth Zakee, TJ Nicole, Tamara J Madison and Plain Brown. Piano and vocal artistry will be provided by Xavier Gordon along with master of the bass, Ramon Pooser.

If you haven't begun your celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month and National Poetry Month, its not too late!

Jazz Appreciation Month (or JAM) is intended to draw public attention to the glories of jazz as both an historical and a living treasure.The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History led this initiative and enlisted a distinguished roster of federal agencies and departments, non-governmental organizations, foundations, jazz artists, and broadcasting networks to make it a reality! The very first JAM celebration took place in 2002 and it has been going strong ever since! For more information, visit www.smithsonianjazz.org.

The April celebration for jazz has expanded into a worldwide party!In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. This is a global jazz party and we will encourage you to participate, but in the meantime, go to www.jazzday.com to learn all about the 2014 festivities! This particular celebration continues to grow larger each year!

The Academy of American Poets created National Poetry Month in 1996 to build awareness of the rich heritage of poets, poems and their impact on our culture. Use this time to focus on your favorite poets and of course, that richly expressive inner poet!

Be sure to tune into The Jazz Spot every Friday at 8 PM to celebrate these great art forms throughout the month!

Please share your favorites with me at jazz@gpb.org or via Twitter @masanijazz or on Facebook...The Jazz Spot on GPB Radio.

Please remain inspired by Jazz music & culture, EVERYDAY!!

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