My Nonprofit Reviews

My experience with Get Lit started with hosting the Classic Slam preliminaries in 2017, and then hosting Classic Slam finals the following year. I was completely enamored by the competition, impressed by the dedication of staff, and inspired by the excitement and investment of the students. As a poet who's been in the arts and education community for 10+ years, no other organization like Get Lit exists. Their missions is sincere, and I have seen the impact that this organization makes on students first-hand, giving them tools to express themselves through writing and performance. These students are able to develop skills that will benefit them in any sector of their lives, and build relationships with other young poets who they can see themselves in. The level of community that Get Lit generates– uniting young creatives, professionals, and activists through the power of poetry, is exactly what I want for the entire world. I often think about what I would have been able to accomplish if I had Get Lit when I was in high school. I sure needed it, but I am equally grateful to be a member of this community as a learned professional, who can now offer experience and expertise. I have worked as a teaching artist and mentor, and from first-hand experience can say that Get Lit's teaching artists, mentors, and coaches are some of the best in the country– a few are my peers, and other have been my mentors in various capacities as well. Get Lit recruits the best of the best, and has been able to maintain consistency despite difficult circumstances because they are invested in their students. Even through a global health crisis, the overall time, dedication, rigor, and work ethic it takes to run an education non-profit did not waver, but adapt. I would love to see Get Lit expand their capacity to touch the lives of even more students. Students need an outlet. They need teachers who are highly trained and genuinely care. I'm thankful for my involvement with Get Lit, and gladly vouch on their behalf. We need the compassion and values of this organization now more than ever!