“where time folds:” A Community Conversation
In celebration of National Black Poets Day, Lancaster’s Inaugural Poet Laureate Evita Colón invites the community to engage with “where time folds,” the original poem she wrote for the grand opening of the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center. Co-presented by LancasterHistory, this gathering explores the role of Black poets as storytellers, historians, interpreters, and witnesses—and the ways poetry can help us understand the places we call home.
Through a close reading of selected stanzas, attendees will unpack the poem’s metaphors, imagery, and layered storytelling, inviting participants to consider what lies beneath the language. Together, we’ll explore how Black poetry has carried history, challenged dominant narratives, preserved memory, and imagined possibility.
Moderated and co-facilitated by Dr. Danielle Brown, Education Chair of the Lancaster Branch of the NAACP, the conversation will ultimately bring us back to Lancaster: What does this poem reveal about where we have been, where we are now, and who we might become together? Participants will be invited to engage the poem not simply as an audience, but as neighbors, readers, and co-imaginers of the future.
Evita Colón is an award-winning poet, creative strategist, and Lancaster City’s inaugural Poet Laureate. She is the founder of Speak to My Soul LLC, a cultural strategy and production firm that uses the arts to empower, educate, and elevate through creative strategy, immersive experiences, and the stewardship of Black stories and legacies. A member of the Recording Academy, the International FLO Poets Collective, and the Lancaster County Community Foundation’s Baldwin Fellows Cohort, Colón is the recipient of the NAACP Presidential Social Justice Award, the J.P. McCaskey Distinguished Alumni Award, and the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award. Her work has also been recognized by BET’s Black Girls Rock!, Sprite Inc., and Billboard’s Grammy Contenders campaign. Her work spans museum commissions, public art, educational initiatives, and archival storytelling, using the arts to preserve and interpret Black history for future generations.
EVENT DETAILS & HOW TO REGISTER
This event takes place on Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 1-3pm at the Stevens & Smith Center, 13-15 E. Vine Street in Lancaster, PA. The event is free, but registration is appreciated. To register for the program, please the button below or call 717.392.4633.