7 inspirational Birmingham poets who need to be on your radar

Words have the power to heal, inspire, motivate and move us toward change. Those behind them possess true talent and Birmingham is full of incredible poets and literary writers using their creativity to educate and move us forward. Learn more about just a few putting a spark in the Magic City.

1. Ashley M. Jones

• About Ashely: Ashley teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She’s also involved with numerous organizations around Birmingham including being the founder and director of the Magic City Poetry Festival.
• Why you should care: Among many other outstanding accolades, Ashley’s debut poetry collection, “Magic City Gospel“, a love song to Birmingham won the silver medal in poetry from the Independent Publishers Book Awards. She’s constantly using her voice to bring news ideas to Birmingham and opening outlets for writers.
• Get in touch: Visit Ashley’s website and Twitter

2. Brian Voice Porter Hawkins

• About Voice: Summarizing Voice as just a poet would be placing him in an extremely cramped box. He’s a huge part of helping Birmingham grow through initiatives such as Ensley Alive and Bards&Brews.
• Why you should care: We actually have 5 reasons for you, including his dedication to building Birmingham’s community.
• Get in touch: Visit Ensley Alive’s website

3. Tina Mozelle Braziel

• About Tina: A published author, Tina directs the Ada Long Creative Writing Workshop at UAB. According to her bio, she also lives in a glass cabin, which I’d love an invite to one day.
• Why you should care: The Ada Long workshop encourages aspiring writers and poets to connect and communicate with each other—growing their skillsets.
• Get in touch: Visit Tina’s website and Twitter

4. Salaam Green

• About Salaam: Salaam is the founder of The Literary Healing Arts, an organization promoting the healing power of words through literary art devices and techniques. She’s also an artist-in-residence with UAB Institute for Arts in Medicine.
• Why you should care: An activist and educator, Salaam uses her words to impact the community through social justice and advocacy. Plus, Salaam was also a 2018 TEDx speaker and the 2018 New Economy’s Fellow.
• Get in touch: Visit Salaam’s website and listen to her podcast

5. Desai Ogada

• About Desai: In addition to sharing his talents with Birmingham, Desai is also the co-founder of the Lagnet Theater Company in Kenya.
• Why you should care: DeSai is an active creator and theater artist in Birmingham. The subjects of his writing often include theatre, poetry, and poly-culturalism.
• Get in touch: Visit Desai’s blog and Twitter

6. Javacia Harris Bowser

• About Javacia: Javacia founded the award-winning literary website See Jane Write. She’s also a freelance writer using her words to bring life to multiple local and national publications.
• Why you should care: See Jane Write is a fantastic resource for women in the literary world and is a great place to get connected and learn from other local writers.
• Get in touch: Learn how you can work with Javacia or reach out through email

7. Elizabeth Hughey

• About Elizabeth: Elizabeth is the co-founder and Programming Director of the Desert Island Supply Co (DISCO), a literary arts center that works alongside students as they develop creative tools for the future. She’s also a published author
• Why you should care: DISCO is doing incredible work in Birmingham by giving kids more opportunities and resources to be creative and write. It also allows them to learn from other creatives in our city.
• Get in touch: Visit Elizabeth’s website and Twitter

We know Birmingham has SO many more creative writers running amazing inititaives in our city. Give us a shout on social @bhamnow for who we should include in our next guide.