Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green Launches Poet Fellowship Initiative in Partnership with BPL and Create Birmingham

 

City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green and the Birmingham Public Library announce the 2024 Summer Poet Fellowship. Selected fellows will work with BPL to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives. 

Birmingham, AL- City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green and the Birmingham Public Library are thrilled to announce the 2024 Summer Poet Fellowship. This initiative is a partnership between City of Birmingham Poet Laureate, BPL, and Create Birmingham. Selected fellows will work with two BPL locations to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives. 

Program Overview:

Salaam Green has nominated Karima Moore to serve as the inaugural Youth Poet Fellow and Maati Sanovia to serve as the inaugural Adult Poet Fellow. Both will work with the Birmingham Public Library to facilitate poetry programming this summer. 

Fellows will receive a $500.00 honorarium that will be administered by Create Birmingham. 

Birmingham Youth Poet Fellow Karima Moor

Youth Poet Fellow, Karima Moor

Youth Poet Fellow, Karima Moor is a Birmingham native who’s always loved writing but didn’t start writing poetry until the age of 18. In 2021, Karima recited her self-authored poem, “Unity,” at the 30th Inauguration of Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. 

Moor worked with Birmingham Public Library’s Summer STEAMER Camp. The camp that took place at BPL's Central Library provided elementary students with interdisciplinary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) curriculum, in an effort to reverse summer learning loss. 

See photos below of Karima Moor with students at the STEAM Camp, which concluded on July 10.

Taught by Better Basics certified teachers at Birmingham Public Library, children increase their skills in both reading and mathematics. Each summer a theme is chosen and different activities are completed to align with the topic. Students complete a variety of STEAM activities that tie to the novels they read through the reading aspect of the program.

Birmingham Adult Poet Fellow Maati Sanovia.

Adult Poet Fellow Maati Sanovia

Maati Sanovia will serve as the Adult Poet Fellow, and is an Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT), Retired Registered Nurse, Published Author of “A Journey to Forgiveness, Disowning 3 Generations of Violence,” Community Activist and Poet. She is the Creator of MaYoni ‘aT Womb Yoga, a sequence that grew out of her work with her daughter in the Ancient Art of Yoni Steaming, through the Yoni Steam Institute. On the path of living Maat, Maati Sanovia’s journey is one of peace, offering a balanced, compassionate, reciprocal and harmonious way of being to all.

About the City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green: 

The City of Birmingham is one of two Alabama cities selected by the Alabama State Council on the Arts to enact an inaugural City Poet Laureate program. (The other city is Mobile.) The poet laureate initiative is in partnership with the City of Birmingham and is funded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and The Birmingham City Council’s Cultural Arts Committee. 

The City recognizes the profound impact of the literary arts on our community’s cultural richness and identity and seeks to honor and celebrate outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of poetry.

After a rigorous nomination and evaluation process, last December the City of Birmingham announced the appointment of Salaam Green as the inaugural 2024-2025 City of Birmingham Poet Laureate. Selected through a rigorous nomination and evaluation process, Green emerged as the ideal candidate to serve as Birmingham’s Poet Laureate. 

As the founder and director of The Literary Healing Arts and a Road Scholar for the Alabama Humanities Alliance, she has spent over 16 years working as an arts educator, healer, and community leader in Birmingham. Green is a published author whose work has been featured in the book Peaches the Perfect Poet, and the Alabama Arts Journal.

 This is an honorary position and roles and responsibilities include making local appearances, facilitating public and educational programs, and building advocacy and community through poetry. She will host three workshops with Birmingham City Schools, participate in five City of Birmingham events, and write two original poems. The poet laureate will receive an honorarium of $5,000 over the term. 

 To learn more about the City of Birmingham Poet Laureate, click HERE.

 Quotes: Youth Poet Fellow, Karima Moor:

 “This nomination means a lot to me. I am excited to bring light and joy to the arts in my city. It is a huge opportunity, and I don't take it lightly.”

Birmingham Public Library- Public Service Regional Manager, Bessie Miller:

“BPL is excited to be a part of this amazing initiative, as we strive uphold our mission to provide the highest quality experience to our community for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and enjoyment.”

 2024-2025 City of Birmingham Poet Laureate, Salaam Green:

“This first installment of poet fellowships through the poet laureate initiative serves as a catalyst for intergenerational readers and writers to create and experience the joy of poetry together. Local poet and spoken word artist Karima Moore and author/poet Mama Sanovia Muhammad provide a rich background of artistry which make them perfect poet fellows for our youth and adult-senior populations. And there is know better space than our amazing BPL libraries and staff to partner with who already make summer learning fun for everyone. As the first Poet Laureate of the city of Birmingham; I look forward to expanding the conversation around establishing economic ecosystems for literary artist and creatives and advocating for bringing more poetry to the people. Poetry is for everybody!” 

Contact Information: Viola Ratcliffe Create Birmingham Community Engagement Manager viola@createbirmingham.org 205- 458- 1393 ext. 804

By Roy Williams|BPL PR Director