Traci Evadne Currie Appointed Poet-in-Residence for Poetry as Activism Project

The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press is proud to announce the appointment of Traci Evadne Currie, Ph.D., as the Poetry as Activism Poet-in-Residence. In this role, Currie will draw inspiration from our holdings in Special Collections to create new, original work, and to develop and host a workshop on the theme of poetry as activism.

Currie is a Jamaican American poet who currently serves as the state coordinator for Poetry Out Loud in Delaware. She has been in the communication studies field for more than 20 years as a spoken word artist, mixed media artist-activist, multi-disciplinary facilitator, youth arts program director and college professor. Her focus is compassion-building that revolves around creating inclusive environments in exclusive spaces.

“Given my exploration and studies to understand how people linguistically communicate, poetry adds an artistic spin to transformational work,” Currie said. “Its creative functionality allows room to explore one’s identity and role in life, and it gives voice to those who are searching for an outlet to share. [In this role,] I look forward to interdisciplinary collaboration across the campus and greater community. I want to create poetic spaces for multifaceted voices, and I look forward to completing my own poetry projects.”

The Poetry as Activism Project draws on the Library’s archival collections of 20th-century American poets, with a focus on those from historically marginalized groups, including Ishmael Reed, Amiri Baraka, Kay Boyle, Richard McCann and more. The project examines the role that activism has played in these poets’ lives and art over time, while also exploring the notion of poetry as activism more generally.

The poet-in-residence is a key component to the project’s success. In addition to creating original works, Currie will have the opportunity to lead a workshop on the project theme in April, which is National Poetry Month, and to support the collecting of writings from emerging and established contemporary poets.

“Traci brings a unique perspective to this position as a spoken word artist, a communication studies scholar, and as an experienced workshop facilitator and instructor,” said Jeannette Schollaert, project manager for Poetry as Activism. “Traci’s vision for the Poetry as Activism workshop centers joy and compassion. The workshop will be a remarkable opportunity to engage with the University community and the communities of Newark and the state of Delaware more broadly about this necessary topic. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from Traci and experience her approach to poetry and activism.”

The Poetry as Activism Project is made possible by a Mellon Foundation Public Knowledge grant, which supports the creation and preservation of the cultural and scholarly record.