As a lifelong Austinite and active poet, I envision a revitalized poetry landscape that embraces our city’s diverse voices while building upon our rich literary heritage. This is only one idea for a plan to grow poetry and the people in our diverse city. I’m interested in your ideas too. The $10,000 could be best used by the poets and artists in our community. I want to bring together two artists to collaborate and pay them for their work so we can have them showcased at an open mic, doing this in a series and bringing all winners an end of year showcase.

Digital Infrastructure & Documentation:

  • Develop austinpoetryhistory.com and austinopenmic.com to preserve and celebrate Austin’s poetic legacy
  • Create digital archives of performances and workshops, ensuring poetry reaches those with mobility challenges or time constraints

Educational Outreach:

  • Partner with Title I schools in Austin ISD and Round Rock ISD to develop age-appropriate poetry programs
  • Collaborate with special education programs to make poetry accessible to students with different abilities. Art Spark does great work here and we can extend their audience.

Cultural Integration & Community Partnerships:

  • Asian American Resource Center: Celebrate Asian-American poetry traditions
  • George Washington Carver Museum: Amplify Black voices and history through verse
  • Puerto Rican Cultural Center: Explore bilingual poetry and Caribbean traditions
  • Austin Baha’i Center: Foster interfaith dialogue through poetry
  • Austin Zen Center: Connect mindfulness practices with poetic expression

Library Integration:

  • Poetry performances and open mics
  • Poetry exhibits featuring local artists
  • Writing workshops and bookbinding workshops for DIY Poetry books

Social Media & Technology Strategy:

  • Create social media campaigns highlighting diverse local poets
  • Launch a podcast featuring Austin’s varied poetic voices
  • Establish an online submission platform for community poetry projects

My vision extends beyond revival—it’s about creating a sustainable, inclusive poetry ecosystem that reflects Austin’s dynamic character. Through strategic partnerships, technology integration, and intentional outreach to underserved communities, we can make Austin not just the Live Music Capital, but truly the Live Poetry Capital of the World, where every voice has the opportunity to be heard and celebrated.