“When Life Gives You Lemons, Enjoy Poetry!”.

Join us for a festive evening

With Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang, Poet, scholar, and Professor of English at the University of Hartford, Connecticut.

The Ivory Club of Tampa Bay is honored to bring Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang back to the bay area for a night of Poetry. We are often told that when life gives us “lemons” we should make lemonade. Prof. Ashuntantang thinks differently.

“When Life Gives You Lemons, Enjoy Poetry!”

In this exciting talk framed with inspiring poems from diverse black poets, the award-winning poet will discuss how poetry can heal during a season of challenges and why it is important to learn to enjoy “lemons” in their own right.  

Venue –  Heritage Harbor Club House: 19502 Heritage Harbor Pkwy, Lutz, FL 33558 

Date & Time – Saturday June 11, 2022 6pm – 9pm

Speaker – Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang, renowned poet, actress, creative writer, and Professor of English and African Literature at the University of Hartford, Connecticut.

The Ivory Club of Tampa Bay, a non-profit organization, has been a mainstay in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years. An “Evening in Africa” is a charity event that serves as a key fundraising vehicle the Ivory Club of Tampa Bay relies on to support its key programs such as:

  • – University of South Florida (USF) Endowed Scholarship. Since 1999, the Ivory Club has awarded need and merit based scholarships annually to deserving students.
  • – International Student Exchange Program where recipient USF Students are sent to an African university for a semester
  • – Disaster relief and social assistance – Donations to Haiti earthquake and West African Ebola relief efforts, Tampa Bay Boys & Girls Club, and more

We invite you to come and experience the night with us. 

About the Speaker

Dr. Joyce Ashuntantang, is a renowned poet, actress, creative writer, and Professor of English and African Literature at the University of Hartford, Connecticut. She has appeared as a guest speaker around the world including in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the USA.

She is a dynamic presenter who draws from her personal experience, interdisciplinary education, and extensive encounter with many cultures to make an impact on diverse audiences around the world.  A graduate of three continents, Dr. Ash received a B. An in English with a minor in Theater Arts from the University of  Yaoundé Cameroon, a Masters in Library and Information science from the University of Aberystwyth, UK, and an MA and Ph.D. in English/African Literature from the City University of New York. She is the author of many scholarly and creative publications.

Her poems which have been translated into Spanish, Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Bangla, Arabic, and Romanian have also been anthologized in major international volumes.