YOLANDA WISHER’S RENT PARTY AT THE ROSENBACH

Yolanda Wisher’s Rent Party at the Rosenbach invokes the tradition of the rent party dating back to the Harlem Renaissance, when communal gatherings of artists fed an outpouring of blues, jazz, and poetry. Curated and hosted by Philadelphia Poet Laureate Emerita Yolanda Wisher, each rent party features readings by two contemporary poets from different schools of thought and craft, in addition to a performance by Wisher and her band The Afroeaters, reviving vintage works of blues, jazz, and poetry or premiering a new work inspired by the Rosenbach’s collection. The series is an ongoing love letter to the literary past, often focusing on writers whose work has been lost, forgotten, or misunderstood.

Black Opals Collective reimagined logo by Karina Puente.

Rent Parties 2017 to 2020 - Yolanda Wisher curated seven rent parties at the Rosenbach. Find out more about each of them here.

Doublehanded Suite - The album project by Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters based off the first seven rent parties.