In Volume Five: Chapter Five, we welcome Teaching Artists, Poet, Dancer, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book Becoming The Artist Volume One, Tarika Holland.

Contact Tarika:

Instagram: @tarikaholland
Instagram: bec0mingtheartist

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Ariana Brown – We Never Did This to Be Beautiful
Instagram: @arianathepoet Website: arianabrown.com

Crystal Valentine – Black Privilege
Instagram: crystalvalentine94
Website: iamcrystalvalentine.com

Ebony Stewart – Mental Health Barz
Instagram: gullyprincess
Website: ebpoetry.com

Matthew Cuban Hernandez – Challenger
Instagram: matthewcuban Website: matthewcuban.com

Edwin Bodney – Good Morning
Instagram: edwinbodney

In Volume Five: Chapter Four we welcome back to the Program Page Poet, Spoken Word Artist, and Author of the book Far From Broken, Kelsey Bigelow.

From Her Website:

Kelsey Bigelow is a poet and speaker based in Des Moines. She spends her time working as a mental health poet sharing this therapeutic tool with audiences of all ages across the world. She is the author of four poetry projects, including her latest book "Far From Broken." Her work is published with several small presses and journals. Kelsey is a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, a 2023 Button Poetry Video Contest Finalist, and a 2023 Central Avenue Poetry Prize finalist.

As a performer, Kelsey has worked with organizations such as The Mayo Clinic, NAMI, Planned Parenthood, and more. Videos of her work can be found on YouTube, Button Poetry, Ghost Poetry Show, and elsewhere. ​

She's the founder of the Des Moines Poetry Workshop, the chair for the Iowa Poetry Association Poetry Slam, a teaching artist in the Des Moines community, the director for the BlackBerry Peach National Poetry Slam, and a founding member of the 2025 io-what poetry slam team.

Contact Kelsey:

Instagram: @kelkaybpoetry
Website: kelkaybpoetry.com

Featured Performance Poets in This Chapter:
Wayne Henry – Theophobia
Instagram: dreadful_poet

Jae Nichelle – Afro So Big
Instagram: @croptopassassian
Website: jaenichelle.com

Emi Mahmoud – Window Games
Instagram: @emibattua
Website: emi-mahmoud.com

God's Ink – Pennies
Instagram: @gods_ink_spokenword

Alexandria Bennett – Sapiosexual
Instagram: @caffeinatedliving
Website: alexandriabennett.com

In Volume Five: Chapter Three of the Program, we welcome Educator, Poet, and author of the chapbook The Autodidact, Meghan Malachi.

From Meghan's Website:

Meghan is the first-place winner of the Spoon River Poetry Review 2022 Editor's Prize Contest and a 2022 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her work is published or forthcoming in Milly Magazine, Rabid Oak, NECTAR Poetry, Pages Penned in Pandemic, giallo lit, and Writers With Attitude. Her first chapbook, The Autodidact, was published by Ethel Zine and Micro Press. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.

​Meghan received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Providence College in 2016 and a Masters of Science in Mathematics from the University of Iowa in 2019. She has an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing from DePaul University, where she also works as a Graduate Assistant and Peer Writing Tutor. Meghan is the Creative Director of Indigo Sessions, an artistic series highlighting the works of Black women musicians and poets. She is an Associate Editor at RHINO magazine and a Programs Coordinator at the Guild Literary Complex.

Contact Meghan:

Website: meghanmalachiwrites.com

Instagram: @meghanbmal

Spoken Word Recording featured this Week:

Farah Habad - 2am in Marshall, TX

X: @habadfarah

Lady Brion - I Talk Black

Instagram: @ladybspeaks

Website: ladybrion.com

X: @ladybspeaks

Dasan Ahanu - I Love You

Instagram: @dasanahanu

Website: dasanahanu.com

Our Conversation with Dasan

Ephraim Nehemiah - 5 Stages of Grief for the Living

Instagram: @ephraimnehemiah

Our Conversation with Ephraim

Alysia Harris - Death Poem

Instagram: poppyinthewheat

Website: alysiaharris.com