An evening of African-American Poetry will be presented at Coastal Carolina University on Wednesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. in Wall Auditorium. Poet Amiri Baraka will present a reading of his works as a part of the event, which is free and open to the public.

Baraka (formerly LeRoi Jones) is a distinguished American poet. From Newark, N.J., he is also widely known and respected as a playwright, political activist, novelist, essayist and educator.

He founded Totem Press, which first published works by Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and other Beat writers. He also founded the Black Arts Repertory Theatre in Harlem and the Black Community Development and Defense Organization, a Black Muslim group devoted to supporting black culture and gaining political power for blacks. His many publications include “The Autobiography of LeRoi Jones,” “Blues People: Negro Music in White America” and the Obie Award-winning play “Dutchman.”

Baraka first attended Rutgers University in Newark and later transferred to Howard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 1954. He as won numerous literary prizes and honors, including the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Rockefeller Foundation Award for Drama. Coastal students, faculty and staff will also present their own poetry, as well as that of other African-American poets. The poetry reading is part of Coastal’s 2005 African-American Celebration and is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Services.

For more information, call 349-2863.