The Historic Belafonte TACOLCY Center, 6161 NW 9th Avenue, Miami, FL 33127 | 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
MAROON POETRY FESTIVAL is presented by Smoke Signals Studio, Community Justice Project, and the Dream Defenders features renowned Poets SONIA SANCHEZ, NTOZAKE SHANGE, THE LAST POETS, artist EMORY DOUGLAS in conversation with American rapper, VIC MENSA, and Chicago based American Soul Singer, JAMILA WOODS at The Historic Belafonte TACOLCY Center. The TACOLCY Center was established in Liberty City in 1966 amid racial and economic tensions as a “safe space” for youth to express themselves. MAROON POETRY FESTIVAL follows in that tradition as a liberatory space founded on truth-telling and community building. A central theme of this inaugural festival is a direct action solution, through intersections of poetic expression, to address the escalating incidence of gun violence impacting communities across the nation.
Maroon Poetry Festival is a product of the hard work of members of the first cohort of the Voices: Poetry for the People workshop series, a collaboration between poet and educator Aja Monet and Community Justice Project supported by a Knight Foundation Arts Challenge grant and Dream Defenders.