Black History Month at the CPL: Jazz in Conversation with Poetry with The Joel LaRue Smith Trio and Poet Tatiana Johnson-Boria (Main)
2024-02-07 23:00 - 2024-02-08 00:30 UTC | Lecture Hall, Main Library
Joel LaRue Smith and his trio perform improvised jazz as poet Tatiana Johnson-Boria reads her works.
This event is a hybrid event and is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.

Joel LaRue Smith is a senior lecturer in music at Tufts University and the Director of the Tufts Jazz Orchestra (formerly the Big Band) and Jazz Activities at Tufts University since 1996. Moving seamlessly between the constellations of jazz styles and the rich and varied literature of the classical masters, Joel LaRue Smith is one of those rare and gifted pianists who have never had to choose between these two musical worlds, because for him they are not separate. His piano skill, musical artistry, and intuitive understanding of each composer he interprets speak directly and intimately to his listeners. He invites them to enter into a unique, personal, and exhilarating musical experience, regardless of the genre.

Tatiana Johnson-Boria (she/her) is the author of Nocturne in Joy (2023). She’s also an educator and facilitator who uses her writing practice to dismantle racism, reckon with trauma, and to cultivate healing. She’s an award-winning writer who’s received distinguished fellowships from Tin House, The Massachusetts Cultural Council, The MacDowell Residency, and others. Tatiana completed her MFA in Creative Writing at Emerson College and teaches at Emerson College, GrubStreet, Catapult, and others.
