Join MoAD for a culminating reading and celebration of the 2024 Poets-in-Residence program. We invite you to an afternoon of poetry by Poet-in-Residence Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez. The program will feature a live reading from the poet, a moderated conversation about their experience in the residency, and a reception. Join us from 12-2pm on this same day for the Student Performance featuring youth from the Spoken Arts and Creative Writing departments at Ruth Asawa School for the Arts, the culmination of their work with the Poets-in-Residence.

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The culminating reading with 2024 Poet-in-Residence reelaviolette botts-ward will take place at MoAD on Saturday, December 14 from 1-2pm.

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About the Poet

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Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez (They/Them) (@reggiepoetry) is a poet, educator, and cultural curator from Richmond, CA. Their work, which examines the intersection of Black, Queer, and Gender diverse identities intersect, has been selected for fellowships and awards from Nomadic Press, the Afro Urban Society, Shuffle Collective and others. Their poem, Aerodynamics of the American Negro, was a finalist for the 2022 Red Wheel Barrow Poetry Prize. They currently can be found as the Program Director of Rich Oak Events and the 2024 Co-Champion of the Berkeley Poetry Slam.

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About the Poets-in-Residence Program

The Museum of the African Diaspora Poets-in-Residence program was founded in 2018. The program provides writers with opportunities to respond to contemporary art of the African Diaspora and extend the reach of the museum through programming and educational workshops with local high school students. The residency welcomes writers to pursue their own writing projects in addition to responding to the current exhibitions on view at MoAD. As part of the residency, writers implement a school-based writing program in partnership with high school students in the Spoken Arts Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts.

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