Sistah Joy Alford
Prince George\'s County Poet Laureate @Prince George\'s Arts And Humanities Council
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WORK HISTORY
Prince George\'s County Poet Laureate @Prince George\'s Arts And Humanities Council
Prince George\'s County, MD
Appointed for 3 year term to serve as Prince George\'s County Poet Laureate on 9/18/2018. The Office of the Poet Laureate operates under the Prince George\'s Arts and Humanities Council and is tasked to bring greater awareness, appreciation and support for poetry while serving the poetry community and the community at large through the literary arts.\"As Poet Laureate, I look forward to working to provide opportunities for poets, from beginner to established poet, and to helping ensure we establish a solid foundation for poetry throughout the county. I also look forward to building bridges between generations and cultures as well as between the poetry community and those for whom poets speak. Helping to create an enhanced poetry experience in Prince George’s County is an incredible opportunity, privilege and responsibility; one that I’m excited to work toward over the next three years.\" ALSO see:
ABOUT SISTAH JOY ALFORD
J. Joy “Sistah Joy” Matthews Alford is the Poet Laureate of Prince George\'s County, Maryland. She is a poet, author, public speaker, workshop facilitator, and arts advocate as well as the producer and host of the award-winning poetry-based cable television show, Sojourn with Words, which has aired 2-3 times weekly since 2005 on CTV in Prince George\'s County, MD. Sistah Joy received the Washington, DC Poet Laureate Special Award (2002) for her outstanding contributions and those of her group, Collective Voices, to the art of poetry in her native Washington, DC. She is an alum of the Washington, DC Poet Laureate’s “Poets in Progress” series and of the Mariposa Writers Retreat. She founded the socially-conscious poetry ensemble, Collective Voices, in 1995, which has performed nationally and internationally (London, England). Sistah Joy is the author of three books: Lord I’m Dancin’ As Fast As I Can From Pain to Empowerment, The Fabric of My Being (2009), and This Garden Called Life (2011). She has served as the president of the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church Poetry Ministry, whose members are known as The Anointed P.E.N.S.(Poets Empowered to Nurture Souls), since helping to establish the ministry in 2003. She presents poetry and empowerment workshops primarily for underserved youth groups and women’s support organizations. She is also co-founder of the women’s empowerment poetry group, Sounds of Empowerment. Sistah Joy originated and hosted Verse, Vibes & Bites, a poetry series at the downtown, Washington, DC Barnes & Noble Books for 5 years, and “Family Poetry Open Mic Night,” a free, intergenerational, poetry and arts series at Annie’s Art Gallery in Camp Springs, Maryland for 10 years. She is a Board Member of The InkWell, Inc, a Founding Charter Board Member of Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts heading that organizations poetry activities, and a lifetime member of the Prince George\'s African American Museum and Cultural Center. For additional information visit Sistah Joy\'s website,
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