Spoken-Word Recording Artist Ursula Rucker to Lend Her Voice to Women Writers Conference

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Trailer for the documentary "POET" on Ursula Rucker.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 6, 2016) — Celebrated poet and spoken-word recording artist Ursula Rucker will participate in the upcoming Kentucky Women Writers Conference. Rucker will perform excerpts from a variety of her works and answer questions on her career as part of the conference's opening event, the Sonia Sanchez Series, which brings a major thinker in multicultural and human rights issues to Lexington to speak throughout the community. The program, which is free and open to the public, will begin 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning.

A Philadelphia-born poet, mother, activist and recording artist, Ursula Rucker has been performing, recording and releasing works for over 20 years. She has toured throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Africa, sharing her poetry. Rucker is dedicated "to art as/for social change and committed to freedom fighting, truth-telling and peace-making (and a little trouble)." She believes in taking her art as far as it can go, whether it be through teaching, activism, lecturing, conducting workshops, merging it with music and recording or rocking mics and stages.

To date, Rucker has released five solo albums, "Supa Sista," "Silver or Lead," "ma’at mama," "Ruckus Soundsysdom" and "SHE SAID," as well as collaborated on more than 100 songs in a wide array of musical genres with producers/artists from around the world such as King Britt, Bahamadia, The Roots, 4 Hero, Jazzanova, Louie Vega and Incognito.

Rucker, who holds a journalism degree from Temple University, was awarded both the Leeway Foundation’s Art for Change and Transformation Awards. She is the subject of a documentary short called "POET." Currently, Rucker is working on her sixth solo album and planning her first book project.

A longtime protégé of series namesake Sonia Sanchez, Rucker has become one of the country’s premiere spoken-word recording artists. She originally performed her 90-minute spoken-word memoir, "My Father’s Daughter," at New Freedom Theatre in Philadelphia in May 2015 and has since been touring with the program. The event will end with a conversation with the poet led by Patrice Muhammad, founder and editor of The Key Newsjournal, which has served Central Kentucky’s black community since 2004. Muhammad is also the host of the syndicated talk radio program "Key Conversations" on WUKY.

The following day, Rucker will also participate in a panel discussion on poetry and community for Kentucky Women Writers Conference registrants only. The panel, moderated by Elizabeth Beck, will also feature Melissa Lozada-Oliva and Bianca Lynne Spriggs.

To enroll in the conference, conference registration must be purchased in advance. A listing of the events' times and dates can be found here: http://womenwriters.as.uky.edu/itinerary. For more information and to register, visit www.kentuckywomenwriters.org.

Now in its 38th year, the Kentucky Women Writers Conference is an annual event known for bringing notable women writers to Lexington for readings, writing workshops and discussions. A program housed in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, the conference is made possible in part by continued community partnerships, including its primary venue, the Carnegie Center. Registration is still open.

For more information on the conference or the Sonia Sanchez event featuring Ursula Rucker, visit online at www.kentuckywomenwriters.org

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MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu