Southern Word

Through words, all youth claim the power and hope to determine their future.

Through the literary and performing arts, Southern Word offers creative solutions for youth to build literacy and presentation skills, reconnect to their education and to their lives, and act as leaders in the improvement of their communities. We are absolutely committed to providing youth, especially in underserved communities, with as many opportunities as possible to develop and publicly present their voices both live and in print, video, audio, and digital media.

Spoken Word Residencies and Workshops 
Southern Word conducts spoken word school residencies, after school workshops, open mics, and shows. Spoken word, also known as performance poetry, has proven effective as a youth development, literacy, and leadership tool across the country. Students participating in spoken word programs report improvement in their reading and writing skills, increased self‐confidence, and a new sense of community among their peers and teachers. Educators report a clear rise in interest among students, a more youth‐driven learning environment, and evidence of greater social and academic confidence among students. Last year, Southern Word reached 4,000 students in schools in 5 Tennessee counties through the residency program, including almost every Nashville High School.

Music Production and Songwriting Programs 
Many Southern Word mentors have capabilities in both writing and music. Southern Word provides songwriting and music production mentors to Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet. Southern Word mentors also facilitate the Nashville Public Library’s audio production suite in StudioNPL as well as mobile studios that travel to branch libraries and community settings.

Writers in the Schools 
Southern Word has also begun placing guest writers of all genres in schools. We are starting off a year-long series with guest writer visits and readings at the new Nashville School of the Arts writing conservatory. We are engaging top songwriters, short fiction writers, novelists, graphic novelists, journalists, and poets in this series.

Youth Poet Laureate Program 
The Nashville Youth Poet Laureate is a joint program of the Office of the Mayor, Metro Nashville Arts Commission, Nashville Public Library, Metro Nashville Public Schools, Southern Word, and Urban Word. The Nashville Youth Poet Laureate program aims to identify young writers and leaders who are committed to civic and community engagement, diversity and tolerance, and youth voice across Nashville.

Southern Word facilitates the selection process which culminates at the State of the Word at Vanderbilt University in December. This drafts off the writer residency work Southern Word is doing in almost every Nashville High School. Southern Word also provides poet mentorship and coordination for the Youth Poet Laureate’s appearances.

In year one, the Youth Poet Laureate will have read original work at the city council, State of Metro, Nashville Public Library StudioNPL opening, MyCity Academy Graduation, and the MNAC Artober event Creo in partnership with TEDxNashville. In addition to creating her own manuscript for publishing her first book as part of the program, she was also published in Nashville Arts Magazine and the Tennessean.