Luis Rodriguez

March 6, 2008

Luis Rodriguez is convinced that a writer can change   the world. Indeed it is through education and the power of words that Rodriguez saw his own way out of poverty and despair in the barrio of East LA and successfully broke free from the years of violence and desperation he spent as an active gang member.

An accomplished poet, Luis Rodriguez is the author of several collections of poetry,have won several awards.     He was one of 50 leaders worldwide selected as “Unsung Heroes of Compassion,” presented by the Dalai Lama.

Brian Turner

January 28, 2008

Brian Turner is a Soldier-poet whose debut book of poems, Here, Bullet , won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award and the New York Times "Editor's Choice" selection.  Brian earned a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Oregon and lived abroad in South Korea for a year before serving for seven years in the U.S. Army. 

Nikki Giovanni, Poet

September 13, 2007

Nikki Giovanni is a world renowned poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator. One of the most widely read American poets; she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother,  and a professor of English.” Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference on oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.