D.J. Rogers is a poet, spoken word artist, editorialist, essayist and educator at Art of Problem Solving Academy in Morrisville. He’s also the City of Durham’s inaugural Poet Laureate, a one-year term he began on July 1. Below, he shares his vision for the job, and the role that poetry plays in city life.
What are you hopeful to accomplish as Durham’s first poet laureate?
[I want to] really expand the definition of the city and a citizen of Durham and what that looks like. What I mean by that is: Durham is a city that is historically founded by and thrives on the power of marginalized people. … And so my big, tangible project to that end is an urban art project that’s going to take place within our housing communities like McDougald Terrace and several of the other housing projects in the city.
I want to go in there and do workshops with the kids and adults who live there … to revitalize and highlight those communities, but through the voices and the lens of the people who actually live there, and not somebody who is trying to gussy it up to sell it, essentially.
What does it mean for Durham to choose to have a poet laureate?
What it shows me is an appreciation for, and a respect for, art, which I think is awesome. One of the big things that showed [the importance of art] was how many aspects of our society were laid bare in the wake of the pandemic. When we didn’t have our businesses, our social gatherings, our ability to go out in places like coffee shops – what did we have left? We had community, and we had art. Seeing that has really illustrated exactly how indispensable art is. Trying to highlight that, I think, is what led to the creation of this position. And it’s really humbling to be the first one.
What do you hope that future Durham poet laureates will be able to accomplish?
This is a pilot year, but there is full intention to continue [the program]. In addition to helping execute programming, I’ll help create kind of an outline or curriculum that other poet laureates might follow.
I hope [future laureates will] not only celebrate Durham through art, but also expand Durham to other places and expand art to other places through the position.To have collaboration with poet laureates and artists from other cities, other states, and to really come together and help show who and what Durham is through the art. [By] doing that, what they also accomplish is continuing to build the community of Durham from within as well. – as told to Cole del Charco
Click here to learn more about events with Poet Laureate Rogers, and visit D.J.’s social media pages – @DJ_Rogers on Twitter and @DJRogers88 on Instagram.
