Mia X is shown performing. (Credit: Dana Binfet)
Newark elected its first-ever Poet Laureate, a position that celebrates the city’s rich history.
Local poets from all over applied for the role, and a selection committee chose their top candidate to promote the literary arts to Newark residents.
Newark has long been a center of African American culture and activism. Mia X (Margie Johnson), is an arts educator deeply involved in shaping the city’s poetry scene. Johnson made history when she was selected for the role, as Dana Binfet reports.
Newark is a cultural hub known for its Black arts movement, and home to the country’s premier poetry festival, but Johnson acknowledges that it hasn’t always been that way. The city has had a difficult history which means its arts legacy can be easily overlooked but the program offers a new way to honor the city’s heritage.
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About the author(s)
Dana Binfet is a freelance journalist and a graduate student at Columbia School of Journalism, covering the intersection of arts, culture and social justice.