Mutual Belonging
By Isabelle Bellinghausen
Founded in 2016 to support the mission of the first Clark County Poet Laureate, Poetry Promise, Inc. is perhaps the first and largest community-based program for poets in Clark County, Nevada. We remain committed to uplifting and amplifying the voices of emerging writers from underserved communities and working poets as they hone their craft. We provide financial support, education, and stability as writers develop their voice.
Our most visible program is the Reading Series that has brought three US Poet Laureates and Pulitzer Prize winners to the Las Vegas area for local readings. Readings are followed by a writing workshop or discussion with the featured poet. Our series additionally supports grassroots readings led by poets from diverse local communities and divergent styles.
Our latest and largest program is Poets in the Schools, which is based on a 50-year old program from California. It focuses on helping students write poetry and find their personal voice. This program has been supported by both Clark County and the State of Nevada. Poetry Promise, Inc. has provided over 1,500 hours of poetry programming with teaching artists (working poets) such as Ashley Vargas and Vanessa Williams as well as 15-20 other local poets.
“The sense of mutual belonging is inherent with authentic poetry,” says teaching artist and working poet Ashley Vargas (stage name “Ms. AyeVee”).
Photo courtesy of Ashley Vargas, “Ms. AyeVee.”
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Vargas started writing poetry in second grade when she discovered rhyme schemes. At age 25, this passion evolved into performing live in front of an audience at The Human Experience, a hop nuts brewery in downtown, Las Vegas. This became her home for two years, and Vargas notes: “It was jokingly called ‘our church.’ I have never found a place that makes you feel like family like the Las Vegas open mic scene.”
Vargas created Beyond the Neon Poetry Festival in 2020—a digital poetry competition on Instagram that started during the pandemic— that has become a movement. Beyond the Neon (BTN) features a Beyond the Neon Poetry Book Club monthly at UnCommons, the Las Vegas BTN Poetry Festival (which draws in over 150+ poets and poetry lovers each year), and a BTN anthology of local poets (Zeitgeist Press, 2021).
Working alongside Vargas at Poetry Promise, teaching artist Vanessa Williams (stage name “Poetic V”) believes the role of the humanities in today’s world, especially in Nevada, is to highlight and honor our differences. She believes the humanities make us more connected as a people and community, creating space for all who desire to be seen and heard.
Photo courtesy of "Poetic V" (Vanessa Williams).
Williams has competed and won in the Beyond the Neon Poetry Slam, Spotlight Poetry Slam, and Spit Your Truth Poetry competition, as well as writing and publishing her first poetry book Poetically Affirmed, A collection of I Am poems that affirm you daily. Williams sees the future of poetry in Nevada like a long-lost child, finally coming home.
As more and more events, festivals, and open mics are emerging, people are truly seeing the power and beauty that poetry brings to a community. Poetry Promise, Inc. remains on the forefront of the poetry scene in Las Vegas. Thanks in part to a Major Project Grant from Nevada Humanities, Poetry Promise Inc. continues advancing the knowledge of poetry, amplifies the voices of local poets, and supports poets practicing their art across Clark County, Nevada.
Isabelle Bellinghausen is the executive director of Poetry Promise, Inc.
Photo courtesy of Isabelle Bellinghausen.