US Department of Arts & Culture Hosts People's State of the Union Events

The US Department of Arts & Culture, an artists' collective and not a government agency, is sponsoring a number of public and private events over the next few days.  Called the "People's State of the Union," the group describes it this way:

At story circles convened in over 150 communities between January 23-30, participants will gather to share stories reflecting on the state of the union as experienced in their own lives and communities. As a way to augment the President’s annual speech, these stories will be collected and shared through an online portal, supplemented by commentary from the USDAC National Cabinet. Inspired by these stories, a group of award-winning poets will create and deliver a Poetic Address to the Nation, broadcast live from New York City’s Bowery Poetry Club on February 1, 2015. Contributing poets include: Margaret Randall, Patricia Smith, Bob Holman, Luis Rodriguez, E. Ethelbert Miller, Claudia Rankine, Joy Harjo, Eileen Myles, and many others.

On the USDAC page for this program there is one event listed for the Philadelphia area, in the city.