Roger Bonair-Agard facts for kids
Roger Bonair-Agard is a talented poet and performance artist. He has appeared on television and radio shows. He has also led many workshops and given lectures. Roger Bonair-Agard has shared his poetry at universities across the United States. He has also performed at international festivals in places like Germany, Switzerland, Milan, and Jamaica.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Roger Bonair-Agard was born in Trinidad. He moved to the United States in 1987. He first planned to go to university and study law. However, he soon found himself drawn to the vibrant life of New York City. He studied Political Science at Hunter College. Before taking his law school entrance exam, he decided to focus on poetry instead.
Poetry Career and Achievements
Roger Bonair-Agard became a member of the 1997 Nuyorican Poets Cafe Poetry Slam team. A poetry slam is a competition where poets perform their original work. He later coached the 1998 Nuyorican Poets Cafe team. This team won the National Poetry Slam Championship that year in Austin, Texas.
He then helped start the louderARTS Project. He was part of the louderARTS Poetry Slam teams many times. In 1999, he won the individual competition at the National Poetry Slam. He used to be the Artistic Director for louderARTS. He also taught creative writing at Fordham University.
Working with Young People
For over ten years, Roger Bonair-Agard has worked with young people. He has taught poetry at Urban Word in New York City. He also worked with Volume in Ann Arbor. He has helped youth poetry groups in Seattle, San Francisco, and the Adirondack Valley in New York. Bonair-Agard is also a Cave Canem fellow. This means he was part of a special workshop for African American poets. He has learned from famous poets like Yusef Komunyakaa and Patricia Smith.
He currently teaches creative writing. He works with the Free Write Arts & Literacy Program. This program is for young people at the Cook County, Illinois Temporary Juvenile Detention Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Creative Works
Albums
Roger Bonair-Agard has released several albums of his poetry. These recordings let listeners enjoy his spoken word performances.
- List in a Valley of Bone: New and Selected Poem Recordings (2009)
- Chantuel
- NYC Slams
- 5 Past 13
Film Appearances
Roger Bonair-Agard has also appeared in films about poetry slams.
- The 2000 National Poetry Slam Finals – 2000, Poetry Slam Inc.
- Poetry slam – 1999, Princeton: Films for the Humanities & Sciences (with David Deutsch, Elizabeth Farnsworth, and Ariana Waynes).
