The Hannah Kahn Poetry Foundation, the John L. and James S. Knight Foundation and Broward College will present poet and author, Sapphire, on Friday, Feb. 11^, at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Cultural Theater in Pembroke Pines.

Sapphire, who began her writing career as performance poet, published her first book of poetry during the heyday of the Slam Poetry movement in 1980’s New York City. She went on to author the critically acclaimed novel Push, which was renamed and made into the film Precious. Actress Mo’Nique won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Precious’ highly-dysfunctional and brutal mother.

During an interview on NPR’s Michele Norris, Sapphire spoke about the particular social underpinnings of the book and the stigma of growing up black, obese, undereducated and female: “I wanted to show that this girl is locked out through literacy. She’s locked out by her physical appearance. She’s locked out by her class, and she’s locked out by her color … I encountered this. I had a student who told me that she had had children by her father.”

A screening of the film Precious will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Performing Cultural Arts Theater. Sapphire will then read from her poetry and fiction at 7:30. The reading and the film showing are free, however donations to the cultural center are welcomed.

All events are at the Performing Arts Cultural Theater, Broward College South Campus, 7200 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines. For more information contact Rivka Spiro at Broward College, 954-201-7238 or [email protected].