the collective
The Touring Collective
ryan “Ryrylee” Andrews
Ryan Andrews is a Poet, hairstylist and a single mother. Born in Massachusetts, raised in Connecticut and blossoming in good ole Tennessee. She has been a writer since childhood but relatively new to spoken word. Since 2016, she is learning and meeting new poets on the way. Sharing her experiences in life, love and relationships, with everyone willing to listen. Raw and unfiltered, she writes to activate and encourage self love and awareness. She is an active member of The Fifth Woman poetry collective. With whom she was blessed to perform at Bonnaroo music festival in 2018. She is eager to express herself and the mic is no stranger.
INSTAGRAM @ryrylee
FACEBOOK Ryan Andrews
Heather Davis
Heather A. Davis is a writer and poet, health activist, and PhD student. She is host of the Knox Community Well Be radio show at WOZO Radio. Her work has appeared in the Knoxville Mercury, Liquid Imagination, the National Academy of Medicine’s Visualize Health Equity project, and with the Knoxville Writer’s Guild. She began reading her poetry at spoken word open mics a year ago as a way to rebuild her voice and confidence as part of her own cancer journey. Her poetry and writing (both creative and academic) are often about interpersonal and community wellbeing, as well as the healing power of open dialoguing about illness in all its forms. She splits her time between Knoxville and her other native home in Scotland where she’s looking forward to the day she can freestyle in Scots Gaelic.
INSTAGRAM @knoxcommunitywellbe
FACEBOOK Heather Davis
Taria “The Realest” Person
Taria Person is an alumna of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she received a dual B. A. in English Creative Writing: Poetry, and Interdisciplinary Studies: Africana Studies. She is the author of Rainbow Elephant, was commissioned to write a book of poetry by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation entitled, At the Summit, and her work appears in numerous anthologies, including: O’ Woman a Tapestry of Loving You, and Voices of Warriors: Poems of Hope & Healing. Person won an Artistic Professional Development grant from Alternate ROOTS in order to produce her original stage play, Hangers, multiple, 1st place regional Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Slam Champion (2012 - 2017), performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (2019), and performed her original works, at Arkansas Theatre Festival 2020. Also, Person has been an actress and stage manager for The Carpetbag Theatre Inc., during its series of original stage productions that have been funded by the Roy Cockrum Foundation, in celebration of (CBT’s) 50th Anniversary, as well as stage manager for ROOTS Week (2018 - 2019) and National Theatre Project Regional Convening (2019). She is an annual young writers' workshop instructor for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and Lincoln Memorial University, and currently, works as a teaching artist for Turnip Green Creative Reuse.
INSTAGRAM @the_realest_person1
FACEBOOK The Realest Person
Anita ‘ADE’ johnson
A Knoxville native, "Ade" Anita Johnson is an emerging Black southern writer and performance poet who brings words to life through spoken word, short stories, and YA fiction delving into magical realism and fantasy. She seeks to explore the mystery and magic of our world by focusing on what is innately human. Pulling from her Southern roots, she explores the lyrical rhythm of phrasing. Ade is a former teacher and Founder of "Colors of Light - Black People Write, " a writing space for Black writers globally. Colors of Light offers regular writing sessions & workshops as it seeks to build a community for Black writers of all genres to connect, write, support, and encourage each other. She loves to inspire all ages to tap into their creativity and write. Writing for young adult and adult readers, the stage and the page, she aims to ignite imaginations, invite critical thought, and challenge norms served with a drip of honey and a dash of humor. Ade holds a BA in English from Mount Holyoke College. Guided by God and her ancestors, she continues to savor her love of the spoken word and strives to elevate her writing craft. She is working on her first published works and developing performance poetry. She currently lives in Knoxville, TN.
INSTAGRAM: @aminorkey8 or @colorsoflightpoetry
virginia “Slim” Autry
Virgina Autry
Drew drake
Drew Drake is an Actor, Poet and Educator from Huntsville Alabama; focused on creating art that facilitates healthy dialogue for people of color. His biggest inspirations are Zora Neale Hurston and Fannie Lou Hamer. Drew was last seen in the New York Times Critics Pick "TJ Loves Sally Forever" at Jack Theatre in February and the independent film " Privilege" in May. Drew is currently teaching with Urban Word NYC ( Poetry and Literary Arts Empowerment) , Illuminart (Arts and Theatre Organization working with middle schools and High Schools in Staten Island) and Rehabilitation through the Arts ( Arts Empowerment organization Prisons in NY State) teaching at Taconic Womens Correctional Facility. His teaching focuses on eliminating the elitism of eurocentric and white-centered art, and creating more accessibility to different mediums of art for POCs by using Hip Hop and Black Culture as an tool of exploration of English Language Arts and Creative Writing. Drew also released a Hip Hop EP " Dope Boyz Love Hondas" in January and is working on a follow up " Untitled" EP set to release this fall.
INSTAGRAM @drewskiidrake
FACEBOOK Drew Drake
VIDEOS
http://thedrewdrake.com
Shekita driskill
Shekita Driskill is the owner of Intuitive Body Fitness an online business. She is a certified fitness trainer, yoga instructor, and Holistic nutrition coach. She is also a mother, a wife and lover of all the arts that she can creatively express herself through. Born in Arkansas, raised in Kansas City MO and Knoxville TN, she has done her fair share of traveling throughout the states, but has recently settled in the mountains of North Carolina.
Shekita first stepped onto the spoken word stage in 2013 performing at open mic events around Knoxville. She later featured at venues such as The Emporium, Nori Café, Po Boys and Poets, The Pilot Light, Secret City cypher, and was one of the original members of The 5th Woman production.
“I have no true agenda with my poetry but to share the life-giving power of poetry, positivity and love through my words. I’ve made a commitment to myself to always end my pieces with a call to action. I am conscious always about the legacy that I will leave. My deepest desire is that it will be one of hope.”
INSTAGRAM @shekita_d
FACEBOOK Shekita Driskill
VIDEOS
Aneja raiteri
Aneja Raiteri is an actress, model, dancer, and spoken word poet with over a decade of experience in live stage performance. From captivating audiences as Dana Witherspoon in the theatrical interpretation of Silver Sparrow to playing Tituba in The Crucible with The Hilltop Players - Aneja has demonstrated her prowess as a Drama Glossary Actress.
Raiteri sharpened her performance skills as a Fellow of The 5th Woman, a collective organized by Rhea Carmon to “radicalize the souls of women in all of their diverse expressions of femininity through poetry”. She has opened and featured in a number of shows including Hip Hop vs. Poetry Chattanooga. Her professional training also includes traveling as an intern with the renowned Carpetbag Theatre in Knoxville, TN under the direction of Linda Paris-Bailey.
As Aneja continues to evolve in her artistry, she welcomes every aligned opportunity to come alive on stage where she feels most alive. As a creative who began writing poetry at the age of nine, she recognizes that every experience has prepared her for this new and exciting chapter in her performance career. Aneja looks forward to give artistic voice to the deepest parts of the soul and retelling the hidden stories that lie deep within. Welcome to her journey.
INSTAGRAM @aneja_love
FACEBOOK Aneja Raiteri