Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green launches Poet Fellowship initiative in partnership with BPL, Create Birmingham

Birmingham Public Library

City of Birmingham Poet Laureate Salaam Green and Birmingham Public Library are delighted to announce the Summer Poet Fellowship 2024. This initiative is a partnership between City of Birmingham Poet Laureate, BPL and Create Birmingham. Selected fellows will work with two BPL locations to facilitate poetry programming in support of literacy and summer reading initiatives.

“BPL is excited to be a part of this amazing initiative as we strive to live up to our mission of providing our community with the highest quality experience for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and fun,” said the Public Library of Birmingham – Public Service Regional Manager, Bessie Miller.

Green nominated Karima Moore to serve as the Youth Poet Scholar and Maati Sanovia to serve as the Adult Poet Scholar. Both will partner with the Birmingham Public Library to facilitate poetry programming this summer.

Fellows will receive an honorarium of $500.00 to be administered by Create Birmingham.

Poet for youth, Karima Moor

Young Poet Fellow Karima Moor is originally from Birmingham who has always loved to write but didn’t start writing poetry until she was 18. In 2021, Karima recited her self-penned poem, “Unity”, at Birmingham Randall’s 30th mayoral inauguration. L. Woodfin.

“This nomination means a lot to me. I am excited to bring light and joy to the arts in my city,” said Moor. “It’s a huge opportunity and I don’t take it lightly.”

Moor worked with the Birmingham Public Library’s SEAMER Summer Camp. The camp held at BPL’s Central Library offered elementary students an interdisciplinary STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) curriculum in an effort to reverse summer learning loss.

Taught by certified Better Basics teachers at the Birmingham Public Library, children increase their skills in both reading and math. Each summer a theme is chosen and different activities are completed to align with the theme. Students complete a variety of STEAM activities that relate to the novels they read through the reading aspect of the program.

Adult poet Fellow Maati Sanovia

Maati Sanovia will serve as Poet for Adults and is an experienced yoga teacher (E-RYT), retired nurse, author of “A Journey to Forgiveness, Denying 3 Generations of Violence”, community activist and poet.

She is the Creator of MaYoni ‘aT Womb Yoga, a sequence that grew out of her work with her daughter in the Ancient Art of Yoni Steaming, through the Yoni Steam Institute. On the path of living Maat, Maati Sanovia’s journey is one of peace, offering all a way to be balanced, compassionate, reciprocal and harmonious.