Mahogany Browne on the meaning of her role as Lincoln Center’s First Poet in Residence

Mahogany Brown is Lincoln Center’s first-ever poet in residence. She believes poetry is a tool for transformation. But Browne does much more than write poetry. She’s also the executive director of Just Media, a media literacy organization. And she has authored several books including Black Girl Magic, Chlorine Sky, and “I Remember Death by Its Proximity to What I Love.” A key part of her residency at Lincoln Center is putting on poetry and art events – Including the Woke Baby Book Fair – a celebration of social justice children’s books. Through her work as a curator, she’s focused on giving voice to underrepresented poets – including children and artists from black and brown communities many of whom were first-time performers at Lincoln Center. This summer will mark a year into her residency. So I spoke with her today about her practice as a poet and curator and asked her what it means to her to be the first-ever poet in residence.