Poet Elizabeth Acevedo will present at the next White Fund Lecture.

Poet, author, performing artist Elizabeth Acevedo will perform and read from her new novel-in-verse “The Poet X,” during a Thursday, Oct. 4, White Fund Lecture, offered in partnership with Northern Essex Community College, at the Lawrence Public Library, 51 Lawrence St. in Lawrence.

The event is free and open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. A question and answer period will follow the performance and reading. Acevedo will be will be
available to sign books.

Acevedo is the youngest child and only daughter of Dominican Republic immigrants. She was born and raised in New York City. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts from the George Washington University and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland.

With more than 15 years of performance experience, Acevedo has toured her poetry nationally and internationally. She is a National Poetry Slam Champion, Cave Canem Fellow, CantoMundo Fellow, and participant of the Callaloo Writer’s Workshop.

She has two collections of poetry, “Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths” and winner of the 2016 Berkshire Prize, “Medusa Reads La Negra’s Palm”. “The Poet X” is her debut novel. She lives with her partner in Washington, DC.

A discussion group will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Lawrence Public Library. This group is open to the public and will discuss Elizabeth Acevedo’s “The Poet X.”

The White Fund’s purpose is to have a free series of interactive presentations for Lawrence area adults, youth, and children. The audience is encouraged to seek wisdom, cultural enrichment, and intellectual enhancement by attending and participating.

The views expressed in the White Fund Enlightenment Series Presentations are the views of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Northern Essex Community College.

Funded by a generous financial gift from the Honorable Daniel Appleton White, the White Fund Lecture Series has provided cultural conversation featuring well-known lecturers in fields such as history, literature, travel, the arts, and politics. The White Fund is collaborating with Northern Essex on this series.

For additional information or to be notified of upcoming events in the White Fund Enlightenment Series, contact Analuz Garcia at agarcia@necc.mass.edu  or call 978-738-7423 or visit the White Fund website.