Street Poets Staff photo 2008

1. TO INSPIRE at-risk youth in the juvenile detention facilities, schools and streets of Los Angeles County to discover and develop their voices as writers, artists and human beings.

2. TO EMPOWER these young people to use the skills and increased self-awareness engendered through the arts to transcend self-destructive lifestyles.

3. TO CREATE a healing community that unites different racial, ethnic and socioeconomic segments of our city around the transformational power of the creative process.

In 1995, Street Poets Inc. founder Chris Henrikson began teaching a weekly poetry workshop in the Los Angeles County Probation Department's Camp Fred Miller as a volunteer through the Writers Guild of America. The experience transformed his life, and, in the process, Street Poets United, a grassroots poetry collective for the workshop alumni, was born. In 1997, the group joined forces with the New York City-based DreamYard Drama Project to form DreamYard/LA. Street Poets worked under the DreamYard umbrella from 1997 to 2005 when we made the decision to reclaim our original name and become Street Poets Inc., a California non-profit corporation. Now, with our own independent 501c3 status, we continue to provide transformational workshops for youth and young adults at school and juvenile detention sites through Los Angeles, while expanding our peace-making work in the community.

Chris Henrikson
Co-Executive Director
Chris@streetpoetsinc.com
(read bio)

Read Founder's Interview with Explore.org

Read Chris Henrikson's Commencement Speech at the Milton Academy Graduation (Milton, MA)

Alison Tatlock
Co-Executive Director
Alison@streetpoetsinc.com
(read bio)

Marjorie Jean
Associate Director
Marjorie@streetpoetsinc.com
(read bio)

Andres Rivera
Community Outreach Coordinator
andres@streetpoetsinc.com
(read bio)

Michelle Sorgen
Teaching Artist

Darlene Chavarria
Teaching Artist/Street Poet

Chirag Menon
Teaching Artist
(read bio)

Matt Sawaya
Teaching Artist
(read bio)

Arturo Quiros
Studio Engineer & Outreach Associate
art@streetpoetsinc.com
(read bio)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Maha Dakhil, Literary Agent, Creative Artists Agency
• Anya Epstein, Screenwriter
• Susannah Grant, Screenwriter/Director
• Justin Heimberg, Writer (Former Associate Director)
• Chenjerai Kumanyika, Music Producer/Recording Artist
• Leo Marmol, Architect/Partner, Marmol & Radziner Architecture & Construction
• Heath Slane, Slane & Slane Designs
• Javier Stauring, Director, Office of Restorative Justice, Archdiocese of Los Angeles
• Greg Walker, Writer/Producer

ADVISORY BOARD

• Larry Dorsey, Retired Camp Director, Los Angeles County Probation Dept.
• Michael Etter, Graphic Designer, Founder Re:Active Magazine
• Kenan Harris-Holley, Writer (Former Associate Director)
• Adam Smith, Founder, Seeking Peace Poetry & Meditation Workshop
• Alex Koffler, Creative Director, Imitsu Media

RETIRED BOARD MEMBERS

• Maria Bello, Actress
• Claire Forlani, Actress
• Tom Maffei, Artist Management
• Jim McAleer, Non-profit Executive Director & Fundraising Consultant
• Chris Moore, Film/TV Producer
• Jenno Topping, Film Producer, Fresh Paint Productions