Blog

When Boston-based playwright, poet and Simmons College English professor Afaa Michael Weaver returns home to Baltimore, he often can be found doing tai chi under the trees at Lake Montebello. The martial art, which he has practiced for 20 years, is representative of his life and work, which seamlessly bring together different worlds -- Chinese culture, the African- American experience and poetry.

Weaver's 10th collection of poetry, The Plum Flower Dance (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2007), has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Pushcart Prize (2008), an annual award for works published by small presses.

Weaver is highly regarded in Baltimore's literary circles. This year, organizers of the CityLit Festival named April 19 "Afaa Michael Weaver Day."

Weaver, 56, was born in East Baltimore to parents who didn't complete high school. After he learned to read, words became his constant friend.

Read the entire article.