Light of Unity

Sat., March 29, noon-5 p.m., free, Book Corner at the Free Library, Central Branch, 311 N. 20th St., 215-567-0527, libraryfriends.info.

by Marta Wilson-Barthes

festival

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Attending a one-man book signing or solo art exhibit is easy, but finding something more all-encompassing can be a challenge: Mingle the arts and you may end up with bongos at a poetry reading. But Tamara Oakman, who hosts the semimonthly "Business of Words" poetry workshop at the Free Library's Book Corner, has found a way to bring together artists as diverse as the city they come from. Musicians, writers, artists and poets from all walks of life will join Oakman — a published writer herself — for the first Light of Unity Festival.

Mel Brake of the Mad Poets Society and Adam Meora-Coben, host of the open-mic series Blam, are only two of the 17 metropolitan performers involved. With its myriad artists, Oakman sees the festival as bridging the humanity gap. "Art crosses and defies all boundaries of race, religion and sexuality. The interest is bigger than we ever expected," Oakman says.

Part of the Emerging Artists Series, the Light of Unity Festival promotes aspiring artists: These will be the first public performances for Scott Clausen, Daniel Schall, Steve Mazzeo and Miracle Brown & Friends.

Even seasoned artists like poet Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, whose collection, Ramadan Sonnets, was published in 1996, see the festival's significance. "To be invited to participate in such a potpourri of readers is always interesting," Moore says. "We all add to the various slices of the human soul's pie ... some tart, some sweet, some dry, some totally intoxicating."

Sat., March 29, noon-5 p.m., free, Book Corner at the Free Library, Central Branch, 311 N. 20th St., 215-567-0527, libraryfriends.info.