Dasan Ahanu is a jack of many trades; he is a public speaker, poet, organizer, workshop facilitator, spoken word artist, educator, songwriter, writer and emcee. Dasan has hosted or coordinated many poetry, jazz, Hip Hop, and cultural arts events. He has helped to establish and grow cultural and performing arts organizations in North Carolina. Dasan is one of the founders of Black Poetry Theatre (BPT), a Durham based African American theatre company, where he is a writer, director, producer, and cast member. He has been featured on national radio and TV and has published three books of poetry. He has also released a number of Hip Hop and Spoken Word recordings.Dasan believes in using his skill and resources to aid in developing the community and further social change. He has worked as an organizer on such issues as war, social injustice, workers rights, domestic violence and sexual assault; planned and facilitated community programs for Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies; conducted creative writing and performance workshops at middle schools, high schools, and colleges throughout North Carolina; and spent time working with at-risk/court-involved youth. In addition to advocating for further support of poetry and spoken word programming, he has lectured on topics such as the impact of cultural arts programming, the arts and social justice, Hip Hop culture, Hip Hop pedagogy, and the arts as a tool for literacy. As a resident artist with the St, Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC he has developed poetry and spoken word programming for youth and adults and worked to grow the Triangle’s arts community.