Spoken Word Residency

Engaging students through spoken word and a free writing space


Over the course of a week, Shawn Welcome will provide a virtual workshop intensive for high school and college students across central Florida, providing a free writing space, introducing the intricacies of performance, spoken word technique and presentation.


About the Artist

Shawn Welcome

Shawn Welcome is the City of Orlando's official Poet Laureate and has been engaged in community related work since 2006. He is the Founder and CEO of Diverse Word, LLC, a creative arts organization dedicated to the cultivation and exporting of performance poetry among other creative arts offerings. He has written NBA commercials for the Orlando Magic, done voice overs for university ads, traveled the US speaking and performing, and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in English Literature.


Our Supporters

This residency is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the Hearst Foundations.