The celebrated poet, cultural organizer and educator speaks to his journey, vision and the evolving landscape of poetry and spoken word art
As told to Sydney Ross | Photo by John Michael Simpson
Dasan Ahanu’s contributions to the Durham arts scene is a lengthy list; he’s collaborated with other local artists like ZOOCRÜ, Shirlette Ammons and Phil Cook and helped establish Black Poetry Theatre at the Hayti Heritage Center, among many other endeavors. He is this year’s Piedmont Laureate, a designation that aims to promote awareness and heighten appreciation for excellence in the literary arts in the Piedmont by building a literary bridge for residents to come together and celebrate the art of writing. We talked to Dasan about his identity as a Southern Black artist and how he plans to round out his term as our region’s laureate.
What motivated you to pursue a career in poetry and spoken word art?*
I never expected to be an artist. But I found a community that saw something in me and offered me chances to do work around my art. It was at a time when I really needed it – I had just gotten laid off from working in corporate America. I had to regroup, and not only the arts community, but also the social justice community … were there. They saw something in me, and they offered me a chance to lean into it.
Were there any specific experiences or influences that led you down this path?
A couple of things. I met a grad student at UNC who was a writer [who] used to come to open mics. She was the first person to challenge me about my writing [and] to ask me, “What are you trying to do with what you’re doing?” Then I got invited to work at the [Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University], which ultimately led me to [work] with Duke’s Young Writers’ Camp. That was the beginning [that led me] to really think about what my art can do in [the] community. That started me on this journey.
What led you to develop the poetry and spoken word programs for youth and adults at the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center?
[Hayti Heritage Center] envisioned a hip-hop and spoken word festival in 2004 and 2005. They invited young artists from the area to help plan it. I got to be a part of the planning committee, and that started my relationship with them. I’ve worked with the center ever since, establishing myself as a resident artist there, and [I] even brought over a theater company to be in residency. You have this African American cultural center that used to be a church in this historic neighborhood. If I was going to be in Durham, this is the place. I needed to figure out how to get folks my age in this space to know what it is, to know the history and to know that this is available for us. We work so hard to use other venues across the Triangle. But this is a Black venue, and I want us to be here. It’s home – that’s how I talk about it with other poets – you got a home here as long as I’m around. I think, as Black folks, we need that.
I realized the responsibility for always placing my work in the context of Southern black artistry, so we can change the narrative about what it means to be creative and brilliant from this side of the map, especially when you’re black.
You mention a theater and performing arts ensemble you helped establish at Hayti. Can you talk more about that?
Me and one of my best friends, Joseph Churchwell, started Black Poetry Theatre in 2008. The name came from a poetic, spoken word-based play that he had developed and I was in. We decided we wanted to do more of this. He has a technical background, and we are both poets. I love writing, and I wanted to get into playwriting. So we formed a theater company where we could involve more poets from the community and take them into the theater. I saw other models across the country of theatrical production centered on poets and poetry, [and we got to work] doing community productions. For the past few years, we’ve been at Hayti as a resident theater company. It’s an opportunity to provide an art form to new audiences and provide more capacity for poets in the community to share. We will be back with a new season starting this fall, our first [since] the pandemic.
You’ve authored five poetry collections. Can you talk about that experience? As a poet and spoken word artist, how do you see your role in society?
I released [the fifth book alongside] being appointed the Piedmont Laureate this year. I’m a performing artist, but I’m also a writer, and to be able to write books means that I can tell my story and the story of others and leave it in print, which lasts forever. If you don’t tell your story, someone else will. It was important for me to learn what that process was and to navigate being able to get books published, [especially because] I work with young writers, and I wanted to [be able to] help them navigate it, too. Telling stories is a way of getting people to consider things in new ways, consider perspectives, take a step back and really sit with issues and what these things mean. It’s also a way to celebrate, because everything’s not tragic. Especially as a Southern Black artist, our lives are not tragic. They’re full of joy. I want us to be seen as whole, and I want my work to reflect that.
How does it feel to be selected as the 2023 Piedmont Laureate?
It’s an honor. I was so excited to be selected. I’m the 15th Piedmont Laureate. Jaki Shelton Green was the first African American and third woman North Carolina Piedmont Laureate. Jaki has been supportive and a great mentor for me [as I walk] in her footsteps on this journey. The organizations I’m working with have been great and supportive [of] the kinds of things that I wanted to do. I hope I get a chance just to be able to help people understand that there’s way more to this art form. It’s been a great ride, [and] we’re getting ready to do some youth-dedicated work in the fall when students return to school. As I close out my term, I’m excited to be able to create some beautiful opportunities for young poets.
You are the second poet ever to be named the Piedmont Laureate. Describe how that feels.
It means a lot because as a poet who’s also a performing poet and a spoken word artist, that’s not something that always gets recognized and treated with the same regard in the larger literary community. I’ve always just wanted [poetry] to matter at large, and I think that’s changing. Being in this position is a part of understanding expansion, meaning more Black and Brown faces can get seen and heard. They find themselves in this work in ways that they don’t always find themselves in the work they’re being presented in their classes [at school]. They’re being taught literature that they’ll find themselves in. That’s getting better, too. There are a lot of folks writing poetry. We’re in an age where they can find it on social media and YouTube and are encouraged to share. It allows them to use their voice, not just on a page, and we need to create room for them to see a trajectory for themselves and their art. I want to be an example of that.
Do you have any advice for aspiring poets and spoken word artists? What would you say to someone just starting their journey in this art form?
First, feed yourself. Feed yourself information and insight. That’s where you’ll draw from to write. How will you feed your people if you can’t feed yourself? Feeding yourself is not just [gaining] knowledge and insight, it’s taking care of yourself, too. Personal work, self-care, mental health and well-being. … Many of us create art out of a place of need and longing. But that can’t be the source. I want young people to know that because, at my age, I’ve seen so many of my peers go through real hardships while also producing great art, so no one ever attends to them. Finally, trust yourself. There are a lot of notions about what it means to succeed and what you can attain, but very few folks get those things. The rest of us are out here maintaining, surviving and thriving in different ways than that. Trust yourself, trust your art, trust what matters to you. Don’t feel like you have to compromise that.
How do you see the future of poetry and spoken word art evolving? Are there any trends or changes you anticipate in the coming years?
I feel like we will see poetry and spoken word used and placed in different ways. I think we’re gonna see more in TV and film. There are young artists who are really looking to not compromise all of their artistic interests. So you have poets who are musicians and actors, and I think they’re going to start pushing to use [poetry] in places that they’re familiar with. There’s a new Grammy category for spoken word albums. I think we’re going to get more spoken word albums set to music, and we’re going to start to get more content, more videos out of that.
*responses have been edited for length and clarity
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