Over the last 15 years as a spoken word poet based in Charlotte, I have won two National Poetry Slam championships, worked with Grammy and Emmy winners, appeared on national television, performed on Broadway and established a life that has taken me all over the country and the world at large. But in reflecting on my relationship with my own city I realize I’ve abandoned the artistic scene that gave me everything I have. And while continuing to write, perform, and create, I’ve stopped making the kinds of poems that made me who I am.

I am dying to make new work in front of an audience that comes from where I come from. I want to try things out in front of my own folk. I want a platform that allows me to do what I was able to do in the beginning, which is to make and share and live as an artist here in Charlotte. Beyond that, Charlotte deserves to be a part of the conversations that are going on in and around the art that is made here.

Many artists find themselves as artist-in-residence at programs and institutions across the country, but those opportunities often aren’t given to performance poets. In large part because these institutions see us as too plain spoken for their literary heavy programs. But with any residency program you’re expected to submit a mission statement and so this announcement will serve as mine.

I am declaring myself an artist-in-residence for the city of Charlotte in 2020.

For these reasons I will be hosting and performing a show every month in 2020 here, at home. Each show will be part showcase of Charlotte artists, part live interview series, part exploration and creation of my own new work. The first act of each show will consist of a spotlight that features other artists in Charlotte, poets and non-poets, whose work I love and who I think deserve more attention. Also in the first act of the night I will conduct an interview with artists, activists, entrepreneurs and more who contribute to our city’s wellbeing. In the second act I will be sharing the poems that have taken me across the globe as well as new work no one has seen. As I plan to grow and share my work, I also plan to grow and share different spaces around Charlotte, so the show will move to a new venue every three months!

The first three shows (Jan 23, Feb 20, March 19) will be held at Dupp & Swat in Camp North End At 8pm.

I have waited for years for someone else to create a platform where I could try and share new things to grow as an artist. I have waited for someone to invite me in to something like this but I cannot wait any longer. Charlotte deserves this. Our artists deserve this. I deserve this. Our culture deserves this. 

Welcome to #theResidency