Today You Are Perfect - Jackson, Bela, Rainey
Join us for the launch of a new monthly reading series, "Today You Are Perfect." We bring poets and artists and listeners together to share their words. Afterward, everyone has the option to participate in a small question and answer session.
Hosted by Jennifer MacBain-Stephens.
The Lineup: Marquise "He's Him" Jackson, Jaha Bela, and Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey
Date & Time: Tuesday, June 30, 2020, 7:00 PM
Platform: Zoom
Cost: This is a pay-what-you-will event. Suggested tip of $5-20 to support each artist: Marquise's cashapp "$HesHim" / Jaha's cashapp "$JahaBela" / Caleb's cashapp "$TheNegroArtist" / Caleb's venmo "Caleb-Rainey." If you are able, please support the artists.
Marquise “He’s Him” Jackson
From Chicago, now hailing from St. Louis, Marquise Jackson is a poet unafraid of the mic. Ranging from topics of spirituality to his Black experience, he is sure to enlighten whoever may listen.
Jaha Bela
Jaha is an Atlanta made, Iowa educated, and slam cultivated warrior of change. As a double major in English and Creative Writing & African American studies with a minor in Social Justice, she still fits in time to volunteer and run writing workshops. She works to maintain safe spaces for queer femme creatives to thrive.
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and producer. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize, and his second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019. He released two spoken word albums and in 2023, as a part of the Brucemore Artisan in Studio program, Caleb produced his first short film, Willing to Grow. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, and competed in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam where he ranked 7th worldwide. He has shared the stage with spoken word titans such as Siaara Freeman, Denice Frohman, Javon Johnson, Ebony Stewart, Anthony McPherson, Danez Smith and Patricia Smith, and videos of his performances can be found on his YouTube channel, Write About Now, and Button Poetry.