Selected Candidate D.J. Rogers 

D.J. Rogers is a poet, spoken word artist, editorialist and essayist born and raised in the Triangle. Teaching poetry and facilitating workshops for nearly a decade in and around Durham, Rogers has been published in Black Nerd Problems Magazine, and Freezeray Press.  

D.J. Rogers' term as the Durham Poet Laureate will end on June 30, 2024. 

Biography 

D.J. Rogers is a poet and spoken word artist born in Raleigh, NC and residing in Durham, NC. Rogers began writing poetry at 9 years old, after being exposed to the work of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance by his third grade assistant teacher, Ms. Morris. From there, Rogers entered various competitions and was published through his high school, and kept writing into his college years. At UNC Chapel Hill, he was in the creative writing program, graduating from its poetry track in 2011. In 2010, his life would change when two things happened: he entered his first poetry slam, at the behest of the management of the theater company where he was a work-study, and when he connected with the nonprofit, the Sacrificial Poets. After this, Rogers began performing and working as a teaching artist in earnest. In the process, he was part of the group Building Bonds, Breaking B.A.R.S., where he was part of the group’s inaugural year at UNC, and a part of Ebony Readers/Onyx Theatre, as spoken word collective in collaboration with UNC’s Black Student Movement. Rogers has appeared on national stages as a poet and educator, at the Individual World Poetry Slam and as an educator/coach for the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitation, or CUPSI. He has worked as an English Language Arts and Creative Writing teacher for the Orange County YMCA, Durham Public Schools, and the KIPP Network. His work can be found on Freezeray Press, Black NerdProblems, and forthcoming from Wingless Dreamer Press.

PROPOSED TIMELINEPOET LAUREATE SELECTION PROCESS

The Durham Poet Laureate Pilot Program used a Request for Qualification (RFQ) application process. The RFQ process opened on April 4, 2022. The Poet Laureate Candidate had to submit a RFQ to qualify, even if they were nominated by another individual. Submissions were to be received by May 6, 2022 at 3:00 PM EST via email to [email protected] with the subject line "RFQ: Durham Poet Laureate Pilot Program".

rfq_poet laureate Opens in new windowFor full details on the RFQ requirements and submission process, please read the full RFQ document located here: 

Request for Qualifications: Durham Poet Laureate Pilot Program

To view the Request for Qualifications in Spanish, please see below for a translated version of the RFQ document: 

Solicitud de Cualificaciones: Program Piloto Poeta Laureado de Durham

From the pool of RFQ applicants, a panel of community members, writers, artists, and City staff reviewed the artists' applications and recommend the Poet Laureate to Mayor O'Neal, after which the Mayor's appointee will serve a one-year term anticipated to begin July 1, 2022.

BUDGET

The selected Candidate will have a total budget of $5,000, including poet laureate/artist fees, community engagement, learning sessions, and documentation of the pilot program. The City of Durham will support the selected Candidate by coordinating and publicizing speaking events.

QUESTIONS?

For information about the Durham Poet Laureate Pilot Program, please contact the Cultural & Public Art Program staff here: 

Rebecca BrownCultural & Public Arts Program ManagerEmail: [email protected]Phone: 919-560-4197, ext. 21245