From the Community
Jamaica Plain Resident Porsha Olayiwola Named Boston’s Next Poet Laureate
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Jamaica Plain's Porsha Olayiwola has been appointed as Boston's new Poet Laureate, a role she will formally begin on January 1, 2019. "Porsha's eagerness to enhance the city of Boston through poetry, along with her commitment to increasing access to the arts in every neighborhood, make her an incredible asset," said Mayor Martin Walsh. "I'm excited to see her vision of how we can use arts to facilitate inclusive and welcoming conversations across the city come to life over the next four years." Currently an MFA student at Emerson College, Olayiwola is the Artistic Director at MassLEAP, a literary non-profit organization in Massachusetts serving youth artists. She also co-founded The House Slam, a poetry slam venue at the Haley House Bakery Café in Roxbury that offers a free poetry slam and open mic events twice a month.