Well-Read & Well-Said: A Women History Month Poetry Showcase

📍 Busboys and Poets Columbia
🗓 Saturday, March 28, 2026
⏰ 8:00 PM | Doors at 7:00 PM
🎟 $15 General Admission

Women’s History Month calls for more than applause. It calls for articulation.

WELL-READ & WELL-SAID is a curated evening of nationally recognized poets whose voices are as studied as they are seasoned. These are women who have competed, taught, published, organized, and shaped culture. They are scholars of language and architects of lived experience.

This is not background poetry.
This is front-and-center brilliance.

Hosted by award-winning spoken word artist and educator Charity Blackwell, the evening will unfold with intention and power.

• Extended feature performances from nationally celebrated poets
• A curated program rooted in intellect, impact, and cultural awareness
• A vibrant, grown crowd of creatives, educators, and community leaders
• Books and merchandise available from select artists
• A space where scholarship meets soul

This showcase honors women who are not only powerful on stage, but powerful in the world. Women who have done the reading. Who have lived the lessons. Who say what they mean and mean what they say.

Come dressed sharp.
Come ready to listen deeply.
Come ready to witness brilliance.

Seats are limited. Advance tickets strongly encouraged.

Because when women are well-read and well-said, history shifts.

more details in bios

Absolutely. Let’s elevate the bios so they feel expansive, accomplished, and worthy of the title WELL-READ & WELL-SAID — highlighting depth, scholarship, impact, and legacy.

Here is a richer, more detailed featured artist section you can drop directly into Eventbrite:

Charity Blackwell is an award-winning spoken word artist, educator, and cultural curator known for her commanding presence and magnetic storytelling. A graduate of Trinity University with both a B.A. and M.A. in Communications, she has been featured by BBC News, TEDxTysons, the NBA, WNBA, MLS Network, The Kennedy Center, and The Hirshhorn Museum. Whether hosting, performing, or leading workshops, Charity’s work bridges intellect and emotion, sparking connection, courage, and bold self-expression.

A commanding presence on Baltimore’s poetry scene, Da Truth has built a reputation for fearless articulation and razor-sharp reasoning. Known for blending logic, lived experience, and lyrical precision, her work dismantles illusion and calls audiences into accountability. Her signature formula — Lie + (Facts × Reason) = Da Truth — is more than clever wordplay, it is a philosophy.

Her performances explore relationships, faith, social hypocrisy, personal growth, and community responsibility. With a delivery that balances humor and heat, she creates moments that feel both confrontational and comforting. Da Truth does not simply perform poetry, she presents arguments wrapped in art. Every set is layered with intention, conviction, and cultural awareness.

International touring poet, author, humanitarian, and cultural matriarch, K Love the Poet has been a transformative presence in spoken word since her debut on Chicago’s poetry scene in 2003. Her rise to prominence included a feature on a Malik Yusef album produced by Kanye West, launching a career that would span stages worldwide.

She has shared platforms with The Last Poets, Talib Kweli, Common, Jasmine Sullivan, and has spoken alongside Angela Davis, Chairman Fred Hampton Jr., and former President Barack Obama. With over 180,000 followers across social platforms and multiple viral performances surpassing one million views, her impact resonates far beyond the stage.

Affectionately known as the “Mother of the Southside,” K Love is a twice-published author and award-winning humanitarian, recipient of the Women of Pan-Africa Award, the Martin Luther King Jr. Award, and a 40 Under 40 Women’s League induction. Her likeness is immortalized in a mural at the North Lawndale Firehouse Art Center in recognition of her mentorship and community leadership.

Her work blends vulnerability, faith, resilience, and empowerment — a masterclass in presence and purpose.

Lady Brion is a nationally and internationally celebrated spoken word artist, educator, cultural curator, and community architect. She rose to national prominence as the 2016 National Poetry Slam Champion and 2017 Southern Fried Regional Slam Champion, earning respect as one of the most formidable competitors in the country.

A graduate of Howard University with a B.A. in Communications and an MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore, Lady Brion’s work bridges scholarship and street knowledge. She has represented Baltimore at the Individual World Poetry Slam and Women of the World Poetry Slam, and has performed internationally in London, Ghana, Zanzibar, and across the United States.

Her impact extends far beyond the stage. As a recipient of the Open Society Institute Fellowship, she has facilitated poetry workshops in prisons and group homes throughout Maryland, using language as a vehicle for liberation and civic engagement. She also serves as Cultural Curator for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, advancing policy conversations and youth leadership development through art.

Lady Brion embodies the essence of WELL-READ & WELL-SAID — grounded in research, rooted in community, and delivered with power.

Ayanna Florence is a national slam champion, teaching artist, and bold creative force based in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the 2023 Womxn of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2023 Charlotte Grand Slam Champion, and Queen of the South winner. A Brave New Voices alum, Ayanna has been captivating audiences since the age of 16.

Her work has been published in African Voices literary magazine and featured on Button Poetry, reaching global audiences. As a queer Black woman, Ayanna writes and performs from the margins — not as limitation, but as revolution. Her poetry dives into mental health, Black family dynamics, vulnerability, identity, and the layered experiences of the queer Black femme perspective.

Ayanna’s performances are emotionally fearless and intellectually sharp. She crafts language that is intimate yet expansive, personal yet political. Her presence on stage feels like both confession and call to action.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Busboys and Poets - Columbia, 6251 Mango Tree Road, Columbia, United States

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