The 5th Woman is a collective of poets who write to radicalize the souls of The Community through expressions and poetry.

When founder and executive director, Rhea “RheaSunshine” Carmon, began to express her narrative through the powerful tenet of spoken word poetry twenty years ago, she realized that there is healing to be found in the act of speaking our stories aloud. The fifth woman was to be named Poetry. She is, she loves, she hurts, she laughs, and she inspires. She represents the journey of all people. Poetry creates space for every story to be heard.

The 5th Woman Poetry Collective uses poetry as a means of community, activism, inspiration, and partnership through the stories of youth, adults, and organizational missions. Our mission is to allow Poetry, the 5th Woman, to radicalize the souls of people by communicating the stories and issues of underrepresented groups, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals.

The 5th Woman sponsors virtual and in person gatherings of poetry, and book publishing for spoken word artists and poets. The 5th Woman On Stage is a full-length theatrical presentation that focuses on the experiences of women. We are also responsible for the first poetry reality web series, "Beyond the Spark". We are responsible for publishing the first anthology of Black Poet Laureates, “In Fullness of the Word” and the first chapbook for the Knoxville Youth Poet Laureate, Melody Dalili.