Poet, Slam New Orleans; Organizer, New Orleans Youth Open Mic;
Program Director, Bard Early College in New Orleans
“I love creating,” Justin Lamb says. “I’m driven by putting something into the atmosphere that might not otherwise exist – whether it’s new writing I take to the stage at the Shadowbox Theatre or new, exciting initiatives at Bard Early College.”
Lamb was part of the team – out of 72 teams – that won the 2013 National Poetry Slam tournament, which qualified him to represent Slam New Orleans at the Individual World Poetry Slam in October, and he was also the 2014 Slam New Orleans Grand Slam Winner.
“I would love to see New Orleans host a big youth poetry festival where youth from schools around the city gather and share their stories to inspire each other,” Lamb says. “I’d like to think the New Orleans Youth Open Mic (a poetry open mic for seventh-12th graders of which he’s the organizer) is helping pave the way for a magical event like this to happen.”
In addition to his poetry slam responsibilities, Lamb is also responsible for coordinating and managing all non-academic aspects of operations at Bard Early College in New Orleans, Bard’s satellite campus for public school students in New Orleans.
Lamb also hopes to work on more creative projects, including a live poetry album and a chapbook.
