The Metro: The next generation of poets connect and compete at Detroit Youth Poetry Slam
The Detroit Youth Poetry Slam is happening May 7 at the Wright Museum. It’s a competition and community event for teens to have their voices showcased and heard in front of a live audience, put together by InsideOut Literary Arts.
Crowd supports teen poets at 2025 Youth Poetry Slam
We talk a lot about youth voices on The Metro. And we consistently ask the question, are we actually listening to our young people? Regardless, they have something to say and they want a place in their own futures.
So what does it look like when space and opportunity is granted for us to listen?
The Detroit Youth Poetry Slam, hosted by performer and InsideOut coach La Shaun phoenix Moore, will gather 15 talented young artists together from InsideOut’s Citywide Poets after school program.
Audiences will have a chance to support the teens as they perform their original work and compete for a spot on InsideOut’s 2026 Detroit Youth Performance Troupe. That experience includes intensive coaching and future performance opportunities.
The poetry slam is happening Thursday, May 7 at The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
She is a 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow and an award winning poet.
Jassmine Parks is a program coordinator at InsideOut Literary Arts, a 2021 Kresge Artist Fellow and an award winning poet. Justin Rogers manages InsideOut’s award-winning after school program Citywide Poets. Justin is also an alum of InsideOut.
In this conversation, Jassmine and Justin explain the impact poetry has had on their lives and how they are uplifting the next generation.
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