Urban Word and Beyond Baroque are proud to present the third installment of the California Youth Poet Laureate Series. Join us on March 10th for a performance and discussion with award-winning poets Mahogany L. Browne and Tonya Ingram. This virtual event is open to the public and all California youth poets (13 - 19 years old) who have participated in a local Youth Poet Laureate program. California organizational leaders are also welcome to attend.
Zoom link will be shared 24 hours before and on the day of the event
Mahogany L. Browne: Mahogany L. Browne was born in Oakland, California. She received an MFA in writing and activism from the Pratt Institute and is the author of several poetry collections and chapbooks, including I Remember Death By Its Proximity to What I Love (Haymarket Books, 2021); Kissing Caskets (YesYes Books, 2017); Smudge (Button Poetry, 2016), Redbone (Aquarius Press, 2015); and #Dear Twitter: Love Letters Hashed Out Online (Penmanship Books, 2010). She is also the author of several young adult and children’s books, including Vinyl Moon (Crown, 2022); and Black Girl Magic (Roaring Brook Press, 2018). In addition, she is the editor of His Rib: Stories, Poems & Essays by HER (Penmanship Books, 2007). Browne is the founder and publisher of Penmanship Books, which she created “as the answer to the performance poet’s publishing problem.” An award-winning performance poet, she is also active in the spoken word community as she hosts/curates the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Friday Night Slam Series. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Tonya Ingram: Tonya Ingram is a poet, Cincinnati native, Bronx-bred introvert, and mental health advocate. She has graced the stages of The Getty Museum, Madison Square Garden, San Francisco Opera House, Nuyorican Poets Café, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and many more. Her work appears in the online and physical pages of The New York Times, Vice i-D, Bustle, and Marie Claire, and the classrooms of schools in the United States and Ghana, just to name a few. Her viral collaboration with BuzzFeed, “An Open Letter to My Depression,” has reached over 4 million views and counting. Tonya’s writing explores the necessity in taking care of ourselves, especially on the days we feel unworthy. She is a graduate of New York University and Otis College of Art and Design and she currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. HOW TO SURVIVE TODAY is her third book of poetry. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.