What I do
writer & facilitator
Vocalist
Host & Organizer
writer & facilitator
In 7th grade, I found my first Def Jam Poetry spoken word video on Youtube. For the first time, I saw that writers could look like me, speak what is on their minds, and have fun with words. Seeing poetry like this opened me up to a multi-genre universe that inspired me to write down my own truths. I finally learned how powerful creating a language for myself could be. I saw how it allowed me to reclaim my voice and to exist more fully in the world.
The only thing that competes with my love for poetry and language is getting others to fall in love with poetry and language as well. This is my goal when I step into any facilitator role. I’ve taught at myriad levels, elementary school up to the college courses. I have prided myself on inviting students into new ways of expression, allowing them to see that language does not have to be intimidating; it can be a way to play.
Vocalist
Music and voice-work is in my blood. Not only was I raised by a mother who supported my brother and I with the work she did as a background singer, but I also come from a long line of pianists, drummers, and pastors — people who made livings from being intentional about and valuing sound.
I am proud to continue that legacy. Between 2018 and 2020, I was the lead singer of The DMV’s Hip-Hop Orchestra where I performed for The Smithsonian, at The National Arboretum, and other popular venues around the D.C. Metro area. In addition, I made my voiceover debut in 2021 for national non-profit Interfaith America and in partnership with Momentum Worldwide. I made my stage debut Spring 2023, featuring as the character Un/Sung in the opera We Shall Note Be Moved (dir. Bill T. Jones).
Host & Organizer
Artistic infrastructure and milieu are just as important as the art housed by the two. For this reason, I am committed to building spaces where not only good art can thrive, but also building spaces that are safe, welcoming, and joyful.
As the Programs Director at Shout Mouse Press, a non-profit writing program and publishing house committed to amplifying underheard voices, I have managed the build of book projects, youth-focused professional development trainings, author celebrations and more.
As an open mic host at Busboys and Poets Shirlington, I have curated, promoted, and hosted multi-discipline arts events, working as a bridge between the audience and the performers.
Over the past decade, I have contributed to various programmatic and performance-focused arts venues in which I was honored to take a step back and put a spotlight on others. Whether it be by strategic planning for an arts-based project, or by being the energetic voice moving the show along, I am grateful for any opportunity where I can foster creative community.