poet Archives - Rolling Out

Crystal Senter Brown is a writer and poet who lives out her passion — empowering women and children through her stories. The Morristown, Tennessee, native has been writing and performing since she was 9 years old which prepared her for her future to pen seven books. She is also a first-generation college student and a…

Marc Lacy is a speaker, writer and producer for AVO Publishing LLC. A native of Huntsville, Alabama, and a proud graduate of Alabama A&M University, he has performed across the country at many national literary events and spoken word venues. Rolling out spoke with the award-winning poet for our “Creative Class” series about his career…

Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican American author and poet. Her debut novel, The Poet X, won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Her other books include Beastgirl & Other Origin Myths and With The Fire On High. We spoke with her about her latest tome, Clap When You Land, which is a novel-in-verse that details the grief and love…

In this exclusive interview, Sekou Andrews — who’s carved out a niche of his own that combines spoken word and public speaking — shares with rolling out how the “human experience” serves as a moving source of inspiration for him. He also details what it was like losing out on a Grammy to the incomparable…

J. Ivy is an artist, poet, actor, and author. From being the poet featured on Kanye West’s Grammy Award-winning album, The College Dropout, to penning three books about the power of forgiveness, Ivy is always pushing the needle for our culture. We spoke with Ivy about his new role with the Recording Academy and how…

When it comes to rhymes, Romane Armand wrote the book about it. He spent more than a decade compiling Book of Rhymes: A Laxative for Creative Constipation, a unique 440-page reference guide to help fellow creatives, poets and songwriters quickly find words that rhyme, which he self-published in 2016. During that decade, Armand also graduated…

Ernestine Johnson Morrison is an actress, poet, and the founder of the first black-owned SEC-regulated real estate crowdfund. We spoke to Johnson Morrison – a moderator and speaker at the two-day RIDE Conference 2019 about innovation and technology. What does innovation mean to you? I’m at the rolling out Ride Conference 2019 and I’m leaving…

Brandon Alexander Williams, aka Real [email protected], is a prolific and talented artist from Chicago who has performed with legends like Big Boi of OutKast. His love of poetry inspired him to create the BLK Love Mixtape. We spoke to him about his artistry, his most recent book and why he feels Black love is important in…

Ernestine Johnson is a compelling actress and internationally recognized spoken word artist born and raised in Los Angeles. She is infamous for being raw, uncensored and untamed on the mic, speaking on matters dear to the heart. Her original spoken word piece “Average Black Girl” performed live on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” went viral with…

For some, it started with a video of substitute teacher spitting a powerful spoken-word about his life in a classroom that instantly went viral, but for now-23-year-old Kondwani Fidel, his moment started long before that. The Baltimore native is a writer, speaker and poet who is traveling the world to touch lives with his story.…

The BET series “Rebel“ has taken off like a rocket. The show, which debuted on March 28, has been doing extremely well in the ratings. If you haven’t had a chance to watch the show just yet, you have to catch up soon. The show is a police drama that examines the unique and conflicted…

Saint Lucian poet and playwright Sir Derek Alton Walcott, KCSL OBE OCC, has died. Walcott became the first Caribbean writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature when he won in 1992. He served as a professor of Poetry at the University of Essex from 2010 to 2013. His first published poem, “1944” appeared in The Voice…

Discopoet Khari B is a prominent boisterous voice in the artist community of Chicago. He has traveled the world with his free-spirited approach, honest wordplay and piercing truth. For the past 10 years, Khari B has shared this expression at The Debauchery Ball. We spoke to Khari about his poetry, music, the Debauchery Ball and…

Photos by Melanie L. Brown Nikki Giovanni performed in Chicago on the stage with Morris Gearring. She shared her classic written poems and discussed the recent violent situations towards African Americans. Giovanni covered various emotions through her poetry. She laughed, cried and even talked sexy to the crowd.

Make a list of the most influential cultural and community based Blacks in this country since 1960. Slant your list in a way that gives special attention to the arts and the Black Power movement. Determine that Dr. Haki Madhubuti is a real live treasure. Listen. Become Black excellence.

On Monday, Feb.23, the U.S. Postal Service announced that renowned author and poet Maya Angelou will be honored with a commemorative stamp. Shortly after Angelou’s death last spring at the age of 86, a campaign was started to create a commemorative stamp in honor of the award-winning poet. A petition was circulated that read in part “Stamps have…

World-renowned poet, writer, activist and educator Nikki Giovanni attended the Southfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.’s literary luncheon on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, in Southfield, Michigan. As an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta, Giovanni was this year’s distinguished keynote speaker. The signature event took place at St. John’s banquet center and was coordinated…

While noted author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was very open about her life and experiences, over the years, she continued to inspire when sharing small unknown facts about her upbringing, including the real story behind her famed publication, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. For the five things you didn’t know…

Noted author, poet laureate and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was found dead Wednesday morning by her caretaker. She was 86. During her lifetime, Angelou saw many things and she wrote about them with great depth and emotion. Her seminal book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” is mandatory reading in many high schools…

The latimes.com reports that Amiri Baraka died Thursday after weeks of failing health, a family spokesperson confirmed. He was 79. A playwright, poet, critic and activist, Baraka was one of the most prominent and controversial African American voices in the world of American letters. He was born Everett LeRoi Jones on Oct. 7, 1934, in…