Artist Talk Back: A Conversation with Roger Guenveur Smith and jessica Care moore

Artist Talk Back: A Conversation with Roger Guenveur Smith and jessica Care moore

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History is proud to present an exclusive artist talk back following the critically acclaimed performance of Roger Guenveur Smith's "Frederick Douglass Now". 

This event offers a rare and profound opportunity for the audience to engage with two thought-provoking artists in an intimate conversation about the intersection of art, history, and activism. 

Smith's signature FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW, inspired by the pioneering abolitionist and feminist, illuminates our present moment through a dynamic reimagining of Douglass' classic 19th-century texts. The Los Angeles Times notes that with FREDERICK DOUGLASS NOW, "Smith's purposeful authorial control is at its zenith, and his performance technique remains mesmeric. A personal benchmark for this remarkable artist. 

Join us for an evening of reflection, dialogue, and inspiration. Please note: this interactive session is for ticket holders of the performance. 

Thursday, September 26th at 7:30 pm

Get your tickets to Frederick Douglass NOW

Jessica Care Moore 

jessica Care moore is one of the leading voices of her generation. An award-winning poet, recording artist, book publisher, activist, cultural arts curator, and filmmaker, she is executive producer and founder of Daughters of Betty (the 20-year-old rock & roll concert and empowerment weekend powered by Black Women Rock!) and founder of The Moore Art House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating literacy through the arts in neighborhoods and schools. moore's publishing house, Moore Black Press, has published poets including Saul Williams, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, asha bandele, and Danny Simmons, and in 2024 is preparing to publish their first poetry and spoken word audiobooks through an imprint deal with HarperCollins. Throughout her career, moore has mentored youth across the United States and has lent her voice and time to juvenile detention centers, prisons, universities, and art institutions around the country. 

moore has recorded her poetry with hip hop legends including Common, Nas, Jeezy, Talib Kweli, Karriem Riggins, techno pioneer Jeff Mills, The Last Poets, Jose James, and Roy Ayers, with writer Greg Tate calling her poetry "A black scream." moore is the author of The Words Don't Fit in My Mouth, The Alphabet Verses The Ghetto, God is Not an American, and Sunlight Through Bullet Holes. Her fifth book, We Want Our Bodies Back (HarperCollins, 2020) won the American Library Association Black Caucus Poetry Honor. Her first children's book, Her Crown Shines (illustrated by Dare Coulter), is slated for publish by HarperCollins in 2024. The namesake celebratory poem caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who shared it widely on her social media pages.

moore's full-scale theatrical work, Salt City, a futurist techno choreopoem, premiered at the Apollo Theater in April 2023. Also in 2023, she received a Spirit of Detroit Award, a Hero Award in the cultural arts category from the Torch of Wisdom Foundation, and the "Trailblazing Poet" award from Words, Beats & Life in Washington DC, in addition to a Testimonial Resolution from the City Council of Detroit. Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, moore previously served on the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. She is a 2019 and 2017 Knight Arts Recipient, a 2018 Joyce Award Winner, 2016 Kresge Artist Fellow, the 2013 Alain Locke Award Recipient, and the 2015 NAACP Great Expectation Award Recipient.

moore's anticipated rock & roll project is a collaboration with powerhouse rock singer Steffanie Christ'ian. The duo's album (and group name), We Are Scorpio, is slated for release in March 2024 on Talib Kweli's Javotti Media label and moore's Black Women Rock! brand. 

In 2023, moore was invited by the family of Malcolm X to read her work at the Shabazz Center, alongside Angela Davis and civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. She has read her poems and lent her powerful voice to meaningful causes around the world including the United Nations World AIDS Day, Shanghai's Iron Mic music festival, Berlin's international poetry festival, Brazil's Festa Literária das Periferias, and Ghana's Afrochella festival. Her work has graced the stages of renowned venues including the Apollo Theater, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the London Institute of Contemporary Arts. 

The ambitious poet is in post-production with her first feature film, He Looked Like A Postcard (directed by Qasim Basir), which moore produced, wrote, and performed in with co-star Tobias Truvillion. 

moore captivated a national television audience in the '90s when she won the legendary It's Showtime at the Apollo competition a record-breaking five times in a row-with a poem. moore's poetry and voice is prominently featured on the fourth floor of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture. A proud Detroiter, moore lives in the city with her son King, a musician, writer, and actor.