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oet, cultural organizer and educator Dasan Ahanu’s contributions to the Durham arts scene is a lengthy list; he’s collaborated with other local artists like ZOOCRÜ, Shirlette Ammons and Phil Cook and helped establish Black Poetry Theatre at the Hayti Heritage Center, among many other endeavors. He is this year’s Piedmont Laureate, a designation that aims to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts in the Piedmont by building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. We talked to Dasan about his identity as a Southern Black artist and how he plans to round out his term as our region’s laureate:
What motivated you to pursue a career in poetry and spoken word art?* I never expected to be an artist. But I found a community that saw something in me and offered me chances to do work around my art. It was at a time when I really needed it – I had just gotten laid off from working in corporate America. I had to regroup, and not only the arts community, but also the social justice community … were there. They saw something in me, and they offered me a chance to lean into it.
speaking *responses have been edited for length and clarity
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