The second annual event, sponsored by Target, will begin at Alice Tully Hall at 6:30 PM.

Special guest readers will also include Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Brice Marden, Wynton Marsalis, Louis Menand, Samantha Power, Cynthia Rowley and Diane Sawyer. The participants will read works from some of today's some of America's best-loved poets.

Last year's inaugural benefit included Laurie Anderson, Antonio Damasio, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Kitty Carlisle Hart, Caroline Kennedy, Frank McCourt, Mark Morris, Jessye Norman, Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, William Styron, and Zadie Smith lending their time and talent to the celebration of contemporary poetry in American culture.

A limited number of VIP tickets (for the performance and reception) are available (starting from $400 each). Contact (292) 274 0343 ext. 34 for information about VIP tickets and sponsorship opportunities.

Tickets to the "Poetry and The Creative Mind" benefit, at Alice Tully Hall in New York City's Lincoln Center are available by calling (212) 721-6500 or visiting www.lincolncenter.org. For more information, visit The Academy of American Poets website at www.poets.org.