The Velvet Sledgehammer – August 11, 1982: Poetry reading at Plowshares III Coffeehouse

Poetry reading hosted by Nancy DuPlessis, held June 24th, 1982 at the Plowshare III Coffee House, set up for the duration of the 2nd special United Nations Conference on Disarmament. In Part 1, the readers are Jan Clausen (b. 1950), short story writer, founding editor of Conditions magazine, activist in the feminist movement working for the Committee for Abortion Rights and Against Sterilization Abuse, and the Women’s Pentagon Action; Vinie Burrows, actress, writer, producer, non-governmental observer for the Women’s International Democratic Federation, who has toured in Europe and Africa with her seven solo performances; Arthur Dobrin, a leader of the Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island, active member of Amnesty International, author and anthologist. In Part 2, the readers are (Masani) Alexis DeVeaux (b. 1948), playwright, novelist, co-founder of The Flamboyant Ladies Theater Company, and contributing editor at Essence Magazine; Joseph Bruchac (b. 1942), of Slovak, English and Native American descent, is a critic and editor of the Greenfield Review; and Amiri Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones, 1934-2014), prolific playwright, journalist, critic, and author whose most recent publication is In the Tradition.