By Jasmine Hooks

Copy Desk Chief

As I walked into the dimly lit storefront, the band serenaded me with Jill Scott’s newest single, “Can’t Wait.” The atmosphere was intimate and serene as Morgan Myers began to feed the crowd with her vibrant energy in anticipation for the featured artist of the night, Lavinia Jackson – an author, poet, military veteran and community activist who arrived at the Artist Bloc on Gate City Boulevard – for Real R.A.P., Rhymes Art & Poetry—to bless the crowd with an abundance of her life’s work.

Hosted by Morgan Myers, she set the stage by asking the audience to participate in a light listening session and review of Trapification by Brandon ‘B-Roc(K), another talented, creative spoken word artist who recently released a poetry album.

As this was an interactive event, Myers later engaged the audience with intriguing, controversial questions, such as: How do you feel about free bleeding? What does it mean to be unapologetically Black? Is love akin to attachment? After breaking the ice, the audience freely and honestly participated in the discussion, taking away words of wisdom and sound advice from fellow members of the community.

Such an authentic social gathering that’s rich in culture and artistry is absolutely necessary if we mean to come together and progress as a community. Morgan Myers is truly a blessing for putting on such a magnificent event for local artists to showcase their work and interact with like-minded people.

With readings from her published book of poetry entitled, Poetry in Plain Sight, Lavinia Jackson truly illuminated the room. Starting with “You People,” an indignant critique on white privilege and black degradation, the crowd was immediately in tune with the power of her words. She also performed original works, “Cat Woman,” “I’m In Love” and “Lady Ain’t Singin The Blues” – all of which stirred vibrant emotions of compassion and authenticity, keeping the audience in silence and reverence as she spoke.

In between reading individual poems, she offered inspiring testimonies of her own experiences exclaiming how it took 25 years to write her first poetry book and only 34 days to publish! She started writing in 1991 for her senior portfolio and signed a deal for 6 books with a small, independent publisher in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Speaking of her tenacity, she encourages, “those who are looking for space for expression, don’t stop…” as she goes on to reiterate, “you art will move you out of the way.”

An avid supporter of buying local and supporting Black businesses, Jackson shares her loyalty for businesses like Peace & Progressive Co-op right here in Greensboro, North Carolina. She advised audience members to join the movement of sharing and caring for one another with direct support and direct action. Lavinia also regularly

holds writing workshop called “Penmansip,” where she actively engages with the community in the name of poetry and philosophy, working with community advocates Keyshia McCain and Sherrita Williams.

As her poetry book has received many accolades and community admiration since its release, it’s no wonder why Jackson has earned a few awards along the way. She won “Best New Author” in October 2015 for Featured Highlights – a group of local entertainers and supports – and the “Maya Angelou Literary Award” in July 2016 for We Live and Dream in Color, an award presented by Quentin D. Alexander.

As she recalled those deserving moments of victory, she says, “every person who has won an award [“Maya Angelou Literary Award”] is a survivor,” including herself. Speaking on her growing success as an author, “It’s given me the opportunity to live a dream…and engage in the community through poetry.”

Lavinia Jackson is currently working on a poetry CD a as well as her second book of poetry and short stories. Someone who humbly began reciting poetry in church by artists such as Claude McKay and Langston Hughes at the age of 8 or 9 is now a published author and inspiring, hard-working member of the community who will continue to spread love and light wherever she goes.

As advice for artists and writers looking for space to engage, she says, “You have to be diligent” and understand “your gift will never leave you.”

“I can’t stop writing,” says Jackson, “whatever you can’t stop doing, that’s your gift.”