USPEAK read-a-thon on Oct. 23 to help flood victims in Southeast Asia

UM community encouraged to help

The Friday, Oct. 23rd installment of USpeak Open Verse, Story Performance and Open Mic event is dedicated to Phillipines Flood Relief. During the week of Sept. 25, 2009, Tropical Storm Ketsana pounded the islands of the Phillipines displacing more than one million people, just before a second storm Typhoon Parma hit, inundating the region with over 400 mm of rain in just six hours – the equivalent of more than one month’s worth of rain. Families waded through knee-deep water, searching for relatives, and neighbors’ homes were engulfed with water.

With the death toll upwards of 300 and many more people wounded and helpless, the floods have destroyed rice fields, ripped through power lines, and left many homes destroyed and families shelterless. UHelp: a special USpeak event at 6 p.m. Friday, at the Oasis Deli at the University Center on the Gables Campus seeks to raise funds for disaster relief. UM community members are encouraged to sign up to read a poem, sing, or play music. Individuals can also help collect donations. All proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross for efforts in the Philippines.

For more information go to:
www.as.miami.edu/english/creativewriting/readingseries/uspeak

Find the event on Facebook: www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=152990756381

Also visit www.facebook.com/UniversityofMiamiCollegeofartsandsciences

October 21, 2009