Poetry in Motion: Buick Drives Students to White House
DETROIT When high school students from a Los Angeles non-profit called Get Lit were invited to the White House for a day of poetry events hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, Buick moved swiftly to help put poetry in motion.
Two Buick Enclave crossovers helped transport the 10 student poets and Get Lit Founder Diane Luby Lane to the White House.
"These students represent a terrific example of our next generation of leaders and their celebration of human achievement is truly worthy of our support, said Tony DiSalle, vice president of Buick sales, service and marketing.
The White House on Wednesday hosted its annual gathering of noted poets, musicians and artists including Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles and Aimee Mann.
Get Lit is a leading presenter of literary performance, education, and teen poetry programs in California. Students serve as poet ambassadors and perform classic and spoken word poetry to inspire fellow teens to read, write, participate in the arts, and lead in their community. Get Lits White House troupe spent the afternoon in workshops with noted poets and the first lady as well as First Lady of Mexico Margarita Zavala, and then moved to the Eisenhower Executive Office building for a live simulcast of the evening proceedings.
Motivated by the White House experience, the students continued their adventure in a tour of inspirational sites like the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Building and Supreme Court. They planned to perform a mixture of classic and original poetry ranging from Robert Pinskys Shirt to When I Grow Up, by Sekou Andrews. They planned to pay homage to Langston Hughes with a visit to Busboys & Poets, the restaurant where the poet worked as busboy, and to Walt Whitman with a performance of Song of Myself in Walt Whitman Park.
Get Lit students who participated in the White House poetry events were Aishah Allah, Bryan Erickson, Tayllor Johnson, Kelsey Kawana and KaLynn Youngblood of Los Angeles; Junior Herrera and Anna Osuna of Alhambra; Anika Jade Levy of Sherman Oaks; Daniel Schaefer of Studio City, and Jazmine Williams of Venice Beach. Get Lit has reached more than 15,000 at-risk teens in more than 45 high schools since its inception in 2005
We help young people develop a love of literature, poetry and language and give voice to their thoughts, said Get Lit founder Diane Lane. By inspiring teens to read and to present their voices in a variety of ways, we bring previously unheard voices to the front. Through its support, Buick is driving our inspiration and we are forever grateful.
Buick will post a chronicle of the student experience in Washington on the Buick Facebook page, www.facebook.com/buick.
About Buick Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan and highly anticipated all-new 2012 Buick Verano compact luxury sedan. Buick is the fastest growing major brand in the U.S. and remains a best-selling brand in China, with continuing record growth. Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com , on Twitter @buick or at www.facebook.com/buick .
About Get Lit / Words Ignite -- Founded in 2005 in Los Angeles, Get Lit is a leading non-profit presenter of literary performance, education, and teen poetry programs. Get Lit uses the memorization and recitation of classic poetry as a launch pad for teen-created spoken word responses, fusing the two forms of expression into compelling performances, conducted by teens in school, after school, and through the organizations own select group of Get Lit Players. These poet ambassadors from throughout Los Angeles perform both classic and spoken word poetry, inspiring fellow teens to read, write, participate in the arts, and be leaders in their community. Get Lit has reached over 15,000 at-risk teens in more than 45 high schools, turning students into motivated scholars inspired to stay in school and thrive. For more information or to make a donation, please visit www.getlit.org.
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CONTACTS:
Eric Borsum
Get Lit/PainePR
323-276-9658
[email protected]