April 1, 2019 ALL

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Today: April 1: Artistic Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century, a lecture by the 2017 Motown Mic Spoken Word Artist of the Year.

Artistic Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century
by William Langford, Instructor in at the Michigan State University Community Music School and 2017 Motown Mic Spoken Word Artist of the Year”

April 1st, 7:00-8:00 pm, O’Dea Room
Refreshments will be served and it will be possible to meet Mr. Langford after the talk.

This talk will explore the work of artistic entrepreneurship, including the development of literary/artistic craft, the role of social media, and the ways that artists assess and command the value of their work, in a variety of contexts.

Additionally, this talk will explore community-engaged educational projects, in the context of Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), a framework for involving youth in the design and implementation of community projects and initiatives. This framework has been pivotal in Will’s work with the Verses: Exploring Literacy Through Lyrics and Song Project (Michigan State University Community Music School), the All of the Above Hip-Hop Arts Academy, and Mr. Langford’s educational projects as a Fulbright Scholar in Kenya.

Will Langford, a Detroit native, is a poet, teaching artist, and Fulbright scholar (www.willthepoet.com). He divides his energy between education and community development projects in his hometown, East Lansing, and East Africa. Will is a doctoral student in Curriculum Instruction and Teacher Education at Michigan State University.

Will Langford is the 2017 Motown Mic Spoken Word Artist of the Year. As a performance artist, Will’s poetry has garnered “Best of Show” in the American Advertising Awards, a Michigan Emmy Award, and the Ambrose Patullo Poetry Prize from Michigan State University, where Langford graduated with the distinction of “Most Outstanding Senior” as a recipient of the Richard Lee Featherstone Endowed Prize.

Will’s writing has appeared in or is forthcoming from The Detroit Neighborhood Guidebook, PANK Magazine, Rain Taxi Review of Books, Work/6, Falling Hard, TIME Magazine Online, and 2 Bridges Review.