Meet The Team

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 Joseph Reese Anderson has been writing poetry and lyrics as long as he’s been able to write. He’s participated in projects across the country and around the globe as a writer. He tries to use poetic language to promote the ideas of awareness, tolerance, and empathy in ways that combine beauty with accessibility. After attending East Carolina University (double BFA Programs: Professional Acting and Musical Theatre), he moved to New York and was introduced to the world of spoken word and performance poetry, where he honed his skills and was welcomed into a world of artistry that would become his life’s focus. Joseph was the director of the poetry division at Mind The Art Entertainment, facilitating writer workshops, performances, and book publishing (book design, editor). Opera/Stage works include Fatty Fatty No Friends (FringeNYC Excellence Award Winner, Innovative Theater Award Nomination, New York Musical Festival Best of Fest Concert, Time Out New York Critic's Pick), Whiskey Pants: The Mayor of Williamsburg (Audience Favorite at FRIGID New York, Showscore Critic's Pick, off-broadway premiere at HERE), Cadence: Home, and Red Sky the Musical.  As a writer and librettist, Joseph’s work has been featured in New York City at world renowned organizations like Joe's Pub at The Public Theater, Feinstein's/54 Below, HERE Arts Center, Intersections International, The Stonewall Inn, and La Mama E.T.C. He is currently working on a new opera commissioned by Maryland Opera Theatre to be premiered in February.

www.degrereese.com

 R. Craig Prince, also known as Humble Rodent, is a local poet and community builder that has been performing in the Raleigh area for the past 5 years. He believes poetry is our pathway back towards listening to our communities and ourselves. His heartfelt and rhythmic style has been deeply shaped by Raleigh’s spoken word tradition and he is honored to help local poetry and local poets flourish however he can. He is also a director of local startup People-First Tourism and you can read more of his work at humblerodent.com or hear it on his Instagram @humblerodentlit .

 Johnny Lee Chapman, III is a multi-disciplinary artist from Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. Chapman started writing as a "Tumblr poet" during his first year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2014, after graduating with a B.S. in Dental Hygiene, he leaped from page to the stage, beginning his career as a spoken word artist. Since then, he has performed regionally and nationally and is an active voice within his Carolina community. Over the years, his professional range of activities has grown to include spoken word and movement performances, acting and directing, workshop facilitation, event hosting, and artist mentorship. Chapman also utilizes the mediums of film and photography to convey emotion without explanation under the pseudonym The Golden Moment.  Chapman embraces the title of storyteller. The one in charge of relaying information by inspiring the imagination of his audience. Offstage, he can be found cleaning the teeth of his community as a Registered Dental Hygienist, traveling with cameras to various places, playing guitar on the porch, or working out on the athletic field with a soccer ball at his feet. 

Nick Courmon is an international poet, spoken word artist, recording artist,

Workshop facilitator, and motivational speaker from Greensboro, NC. Nick has

Been writing poetry since 2009 and performing since 2011. Nick graduated from

The university of North Carolina at Pembroke in 2019 with a B.A. in political

Science with a pre-law concentration. Nick is currently enrolled at North Carolina central university where he is studying to receive his M.A. in African American history.

Nick also serves as the community engagement coordinator for the North Carolina coalition for alternatives to the death penalty (NCCADP). In addition to his work with the NCCADP, nick is also currently serving as the spokesperson for the campaign to free Billie Allen from federal death row. 

Nick uses his art to teach African American history, address a myriad of social issues, and advocate for mental health awareness. Nick has been featured in the Los Angeles times, NBC’s today, vice news, and narratively. Nick has work published in Teen Ink Magazine, Social Soundtrack, and Broad Magazine, a digital and social justice publication born from the women's studies and gender studies program at Loyola University of Chicago. He has participated in the Southern Fried Poetry Slam and has been a featured performer at the North Carolina African American Cultural Celebration, the National Black Theatre Festival, The International Folk Festival, The NC African Film Festival, and the Mother Drum Healing Arts Foundation Festival.

Nick has also used his art to collaborate With Beats By Dre, Gushers, Microsoft, USA Today, the King center, the Museum Of Contemporary Art: North Miami, Where Is My Land, Missourians against The death penalty, Democracy Nc, Nc Black Alliance, the Wounded Warrior Project, Palta. And the athletic department at the university of North Carolina at Pembroke.