Minton Sparks -- 2011 Spoken Word Award recipient -- is a wildly original poet, performance artist, novelist, teacher and essayist born in a Tennessee college town and raised among her Southern family in and around Arkansas. She performs with a handbag full of characters that she infuses with life through her voice, presence and occasional buck dance. A few of Sparks' performances include the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, the Jonesborough National Storytelling Festival and Midnight Cabaret, NPR's All Things Considered and the BBC's Bob Harris Show.

Speaking Schedule

Saturday, April 16
4:00 - 4:30 PM
Acceptance of the Spoken Word Award and Special Performance