Press release:
Young Poets Engage America to Rethink High School
HomeWord Youth Poetry, Youth Speaks, and XQ Institute Partner in National Town Halls with Spoken Word Poets
TOWN HALL: NORTH CAROLINA STAGE COMPANY MAY 23, 2017 at 7:00 P.M.
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017, HomeWord Youth Poetry,an Asheville-based youth spoken word organization, will partner with the XQ Institute, an organization dedicated to rethinking high school in America, and Youth Speaks, the convener of the Brave New Voices Network and the country’s leading spoken word and literary arts organization serving young people, to kick-off Brave New Voices #RethinkHighSchool2017 in cities across the United States. The tour will be a series of spoken-word town-hall events featuring talented young poets sharing their art and sparking a national conversation about new possibilities for the future of public high school.
This is a continuation of the 20-city tour that began in Washington, DC last September. The Asheville event will feature poetry performances from current and alumni poets from HomeWord beside, a panel discussion with current and former highs school students, and a town hall hosted by the young people of HomeWord. The event, which is free and open to the public and press, will take place at North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane, Asheville, N.C, at 7:00 p.m. EST.
“It is important for youth to lead conversations about education because we are the future, the generations after depend on us for that,” said senior Devin Jones who will both perform and speak on the panel. Jones has been involved in planning for the event since December with responsibilities ranging from attending conference calls to running writing workshops at local schools.
A panel of seven current and former students will discuss their vision for education and share their own stories of struggles and successes. Among the panelists are students who can share personal experiences with issues including: homelessness, bullying, lack of minority enrollment in AP classes, transgender issues, the emotional strain of higher education expectations, and the need for more mental health support in schools. These students will be joined on the panel by representatives from Educators for Equity, OpenDoors of Asheville, and Word on the Street/La Voz de los Jovenes.
Key visuals for cameras:● Spoken Word Performances: Youth poets from Youth Speaks’ Brave New Voices performing original spoken word pieces.
Additional events were held in the following cities and will continue through June. All are open to the public and press:
Saturday, March 25 – Norfolk, VA
Wed, April 5th, Baton Rouge, LA
Saturday, April 8 – St. Louis, MO
Sun, April 9 – Boston, MA
Thursday, April 13 – Flint, MI
Sat, April 15 – Tucson, AZ
Wed, April 19 – Des Moines, IA
Thurs, April 27 – Nashville, TN
Sat, May 13 – Houston, TX
Fri, May 19, Sacramento, CA
Tuesday, May 23 – Asheville, NC
Friday, June 2, Lancaster, PA
Sunday, June 4, Seattle, WA
Friday, June 23rd, Bay AreaLearn more on Facebook.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.