In Fall 2023, the City of Roanoke will have its first Youth Poet Laureate. Funded through an Art Matters grant, local leader, spoken word artist, and musician Bryan “Harvest Blaque” Hancock, will work with community partners through the fall of 2022 and spring of 2023 to provide opportunities to area youth to explore community, place, and identity through spoken and written word.
The Roanoke Youth Poet Laureate Program will be a community affiliate of the National Youth Poet Laureate Program. The inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate (2017), Amanda Gorman received international recognition through her performance at President Biden’s inauguration.
The Art Matters grant program is a component of The Year of the Artist, Roanoke’s exploration of the role of artists in fostering a strong, just, resilient, healthy, and just community.
The Year of the Artist is supported by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) resources of the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Roanoke. Additional funding will be provided by the City of Roanoke Arts Commission.
Interested in learning more? Contact Bryan Hancock using the form below:
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