Celebrate Black Brilliance!
Together, The Black Artist Showcase, The Vibrant Lives Project: Discovering Our Roots of Black Vermont, and V.O.W.L. create a powerful space where art, ancestry, and imagination come alive—inviting the whole community to explore heritage, honor, Black brilliance, and celebrate the joy of learning and self-expression.
This dynamic event lifts up Vermont's Black creatives, community storytellers, and culture keepers through an evening of performance, interactive literacy experiences, and intergenerational sharing.
Performers:
Anna holds the distinguished title of Connecticut Youth Poet Laureate, having also been named New Haven Youth Poet Laureate by the Yale Literary Magazine. Her performance experience includes sets at Radio Bean in Burlington, Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, and multiple showcases at Kestrel Coffee in downtown Burlington. She competed at Brave New Voices as part of the Connecticut poetry slam teams in 2024 and 2025 and is a member of the African-American Writers’ Alliance.
In addition to performing, Anna has hosted poetry workshops and online slams, uplifting youth voices through both in-person and digital spaces. Her work blends emotional insight, literary craft, and social awareness, marking her as a rising voice in contemporary poetry.
Jolivette Anderson-Douoning
Dr. Jolivette Anderson-Douoning (also known as Jolivette “the poet warrior”) is a theater artist, performance poet, and educator whose work spans scholarly research and expressive literary performance. She teaches history and the Black experience at Saint Michael’s College, focusing on race, culture, and narrative expression. Her creative practice blends spoken word with community engagement, using poetry and performance to explore identity, memory, and social justice.
Location:
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington
152 Pearl Street, Burlington, VT 05401
Free Event!
Suggested donation: $15-20