InsideOut poets performed alongside dancers from Detroit School of Arts on Detroit Performs! As student poet Raijuan says (his poem begins at 4:10): “I walk down the hallways and past students…I see a lot of potential. I don’t believe that anyone in my school doesn’t…
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Hanif Abdurraqib joined us for the first Detroit Youth Poetry Con in March 2023 to teach a workshop and grace the stage at the public showcase. He spoke with the Metro Times in advance of his appearance. “With any luck, we will sit down collectively…
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From her early years as an InsideOut student at Communications and Media Arts High School to Writer-in-Residence to managing our Citywide Poets program and creating the visionary TechnoPoetics, Nandi Comer has been an important part of InsideOut’s community right from the very start. We are…
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As a high school student, Cassidy Howard experienced InsideOut front multiple angles. A member of the 2021 InsideOut Youth Performance Troupe, Cassidy also served two terms on InsideOut’s Youth Advisory Board and was a recipient of the 2022 Citywide Poets Scholarship.
InsideOut has been inviting guest artists to visit our sites and students for years. These programs expose young poets to new styles and a wide array of artists from different artistic and cultural backgrounds. Guest artists usually facilitate a stand alone workshop and/or open mic,…
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Mahogany Jones Writer-in-Residence Even before COVID-19, the spaces that InsideOut and Citywide Poets carves out of time are magical. With our experiences and creativity we get to shape alternate worlds where we are beautiful and powerful and unashamed and far from average. Recording and performance…
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Catharine Batsios Writer-in-Residence I want every one of my students to have the weekly reminder that their thoughts are rich, robust, & their brains are unique, & always good enough. Catharine, a poet originally from Flint, Michigan, is a Writer-in-Residence and Citywide Poets Site Leader…
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InsideOut Alum Hajjar Baban wins $90,000 Soros Fellowship for New Americans to continue pursuing her art. We couldn’t be more proud. Check out Hajjar’s InsideOut journey in our Student Stories.
2015-2020: Aja “Citywide Poets brought me to the realization that everybody is individual and important.” Before I started Citywide Poets, I wasn’t doing poetry in secret, but I did feel like an underground artist. It started off as a class assignment back in sixth grade and…
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