Frederick-Douglass Knowles II is an Educator and Activist fervent in achieving community augmentation through literary arts. He is the inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of Hartford. His works have been selected as a finalist for the New England Association of Teachers of English (NEATE) Poet of the Year Award, as well as a nominee for a Pushcart Prize. He is a recipient of the Nutmeg Poetry Award, and the 2020 Connecticut of The Arts Fellow in Artist Excellence for Poetry/ Creative Non-Fiction. Frederick-Douglass is the author of BlackRoseCity, and an Associate Professor of English at Three Rivers Community College in Norwich, CT.
#BeatLit
Imagine a young poetic voice that is powerful, yet fearful. It fears that no one wants to hear about its innermost vulnerabilities due to a cultural absence of empathy. Or a powerful young voice that is fully aware of its magnitude, but unaware of how to articulate its experience utilizing literary techniques designed to amplify its story. Now imagine those same voices expressing themselves to the heartfelt rhythm of #BeatLit.
Mission:
#BeatLit illustrates an interactive, creative writing campaign designed to amalgamate the literary and performing art of poetry. #BeatLit combines the element of active reading with generative creative writing exercises to compose literary and/or performance poetry in order to improve the competency and confidence of aspiring writers.
Vision:
#BeatLit establishes working relationships with local schools, libraries, community organizations and institutions, as well as, artistic venues throughout Greater Hartford to encourage young writers to achieve their literary dreams.
2020 Tour
January 29 Reading. HPATV Community Gallery Opening. Hartford, CT 6pm
February 2 Reading. Poetry On The Streets. Charter Oak Center. Hartford, CT 3pm
February 7 BeatLit Workshop. CT River Academy School. Hartford, CT 8am
February 14 Reading. Capitol Prep School. Hartford, CT 7am
February 19 Reading. Black Student Union. Asnuntuck Community College.
Enfield, CT. 6pm.
February 23 Reading. Poetry Rocks. Vernon Art Center. Vernon, CT 3pm
February 24 Reading. Corrigan Correctional Facility. Montville, CT 2pm
February 28 #BeatLit Workshop. Hall High School. West Hartford, CT 9am.
February 28 Reading. University of St. Joseph School of Pharmacy.
West Hartford, CT 11am
March 3 Reading. Resistance & Resilience Black Arts Movement. Three Rivers Community College. Norwich, CT 6:30pm
March 6 #BeatLit Workshop. Hall High School. West Hartford, CT 9am.
March 11 Reading. Confluencia. Naugatuck Valley Community College. Waterbury, CT 6pm
March 14 Judge. Poetry Out Loud State Finals. Online
April 3 Reading. Night Flight Basketball Teen Summit. Kelly Middle School. Norwich, CT 6pm
April 15 Reading. Mad River Literary Festival Northwestern Community College. Winsted, CT. 6:30pm
April 25 Reading. Elm City Lit Fest. New Haven, CT.
April 26 Moderator. Mandell JCC 2020 Book Fest. West Hartford, CT 1pm
May 20 Reading. New Haven Poetry Institute. New Haven, CT. 6:30pm
May 21 #BeatLit Workshop. Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Hartford, CT
May 30 Reading. 2nd Annual Hartford Book Festival. Hartford Public Library. Hartford, CT 12:30pm
Links
Commencement Speaker: Three Rivers Community College 54th Commencement Ceremony:The Day Newspaper: https://www.theday.com/article/20190522/NWS01/190529788?fbclid=IwAR0WwtYrjyrrDxBQzVBFrkH7XTVhMGZa0jwnM484nTtuUkfRrCtN7mku0zs
Commencement Speaker: Three Rivers Community College 54th Commencement Ceremony:Norwich Bulletin Newspaper: https://www.norwichbulletin.com/news/20190522/three-rivers-grads-urged-to-cultivate-your-community
2019 Nutmeg Poetry Award Winner: "Sunday School in the 90's"
Three Rivers Community College 2018-2019 Commencement Speaker:
Poem: "Emerie Enters Her Grandmother's Garden"
Article: Who Is Frederick-Douglass Knowles II, Hartford's First Poet Laureate?"
Hartford Courant.
Article: Hartford Poet Laureate. New London Day:
Article: Hartford Poet Laureate. Hartford Courant:
Presentations
Featured Speaker: Connecticut College Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) Lecture Series. "Journey in the Academy and Research." September 11, 2017 7pm.
Featured Speaker: Nichols College First Year Experience Hip-Hop Forum. The Sociopolitical Power of Hip-Hop: Tupac Shakur 'Martyr or Menace?' September 26, 2017.
Host: 4th Annual Men Against Domestic Violence (MADV) Artistic Expression. Three Rivers Community College. BlackRoseCity (Norwich), CT. October 24, 2017.
Presenter: Wheelock College 2016 National Race Amity Conference: The Impact of Law and Finance on The Other Tradition. "The Sociopolitical Power of Hip-Hop: Tupac Shakur Martyr or Menace?' (November 2016).
Presenter: 51st Annual Two Year College English Association Northeast (TYCA) Conference: Making Connections: Creative Collaborations for Critical Literacy. "The Sociopolitical Power of Hip-Hop: Tupac Shakur 'Martyr or Menace?' (October 2016).
Teaching Fellow: Cambridge Writer's Workshop 2016 Summer Writers' Workshop Summer in Granada (Spain) Writing Retreat. "The Sociopolitical Power of Hip-Hop: Tupac Shakur 'Martyr or Menace?' (August 2016).
Presenter: Three Rivers Community College: Learning Across The Board (LAB) Lecture Series. "The Sociopolitical Power of Hip- Hop: Tupac Shakur 'Martyr or Menace?' (April 2016).
Session Chair: 2016 National Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). "The Archival Turn in Rhetoric and Composition: Avenues for Research and Methodology" (March 2016).
Presenter: 10th Annual Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival. "The Sociopolitical Power of Hip-Hop: Tupac Shakur 'Martyr or Menace?' (April 2015).
Presenter: Connecticut College (host) Black Man Can Institute (TBMC): “Social Responsibility of Individual Behavior. (November 2014).
Presenter: 49th Annual Conference of the Two-Year English Association Northeast Region (TYCA) Conference. "Creative Space: Innovation in Building Conversations with an Adjunct Community" (October 2014).
Contact
Phone: 860.222.5524 (c)
860.215.9444 (0)
Email: