MacDowell will present the 62nd Edward MacDowell Medal to poet Sonia Sanchez Sunday, July 10, in an awards ceremony at 12:15 p.m. under the Medal Day tent on the MacDowell grounds at 100 High St. in Peterborough.
The ceremony will be the first outdoor public MacDowell Medal celebration since 2019.
Sanchez is a leading figure of the Black Arts Movement and the author of more than 20 books of poetry, children’s literature and plays, including “We a BaddDDD People,” “Homegirls and Handgrenades” (winner of the 1985 American Book Award), “Under a Soprano Sky,” “Does Your House Have Lions?” “Like the Singing Coming off the Drums,” “Shake Loose My Skin” and “Morning Haiku.”
MacDowell Fellow Walter Mosley will introduce Sanchez during the celebration, speaking to her impact on the culture, and Nell Painter, MacDowell board chair, will present her with the award.
A picnic lunch will follow at 1:15 p.m., with limited open studios from 2:15 to 4 p.m.
The event will be held rain or shine. Medal Day plans are subject to change based on public health standards at the time of the event. Masking is required in all indoor spaces on campus.