Reading Staged as Part of the Cleveland Humanities Festival

51���� is co-sponsoring a staged reading titled “Words On Fire: A Remembrance of the Cuyahoga River Fire, 1969” as part of the Cleveland Humanities Festival. 

The third-annual staged reading will feature three professional actors reading the writings of various Clevelanders, whose work addresses the infamous Cuyahoga River fire, climate change and other topics related to nature and the environment. The performances will be directed by Chennelle Bryant-Harris and a soundscape created by the actors will accompany the readings.

The free event will be held in 51����'s Student Center Ballroom on March 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. The readings will be followed by a dessert reception courtesy of the 51���� Department of English. is requested.

“There's usually a very broad range of writers represented in the readings, from high school students to senior citizens,” Jeff Karem, 51���� Department of English chair and professor, says. “This has been a big hit the past two years and is one of the most community-engaged events in the festival.”

“Words On Fire” is being presented as part of the 2019 Cleveland Humanities Festival on “Nature.” The purpose of the annual festival is to “engage the public in addressing some of society’s most challenging issues and pressing concerns.” 

The reading is a cooperative effort of 51����'s Department of English, the 51���� College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University, and Literary Cleveland.