Who We Are

Shanae Sharon has dedicated the last 20 years to working in arts education and administration. She is thrilled to lead Street Poets as the new Executive Director, helping to advance its mission during this pivotal time for the organization. Her transformative journey as a young artist not only guided her to this career but also keeps her deeply connected to the work.Shanae previously worked with organizations such as: WACO Theatre Center overseeing the Tina’s Angels & Richards Warriors program, the Cayton Children’s Museum, leading the youTHink program, and the LA County Department of Arts & Culture within the Arts Ed Collective in Juvenile Justice. Shanae has an extensive background in Marketing Communications, Public Relations and Grant Writing. She has an MA in Educational Theatre for Colleges and Communities from NYU; a BA in Theater Arts and Political Science with a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Pittsburgh; and a Certificate in Marketing, Social Media and Web Analytics from UCLA Extension.

Nicole Lynn, a Los Angeles native, holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and a Master’s degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She began her career in 2004 in sales and music licensing, working with industry leaders such as Universal Music Publishing and BMG. In 2019, Nicole transitioned into the nonprofit sector, where she quickly discovered her passion for serving her community and making a meaningful impact in the lives of others.

Now as Director of Development at Street Poets, Nicole loves working in a space where creativity, community, and social impact intersect. She is passionate about using her skills to support programs that empower Los Angeles youth through poetry, music, and self-expression. Nicole values Street Poets’ mission of healing and transformation and finds joy in making a lasting impact on the lives of the city’s young people. 

Vanessa Tahay is a young Mayan poet from Totonicapan, Guatemala. Vanessa graduated from Cleveland high school, she was named captain of the 2017 classic slam team and took first place for finals. Vanessa has been featured on the front page of The Los Angeles Times, has been part of Vogue Magazine, The Huffington Post, NPR and many more. She has also performed and spoke in over 100 schools nationwide, and had the honor to perform at the 2017 women’s rally. Vanessa has had the privilege to work alongside Mitú, Brown Issues, and Undocumedia to spread awareness for undocumented families, women’s rights, and empowering the youth to find their own voices.

DeJuan Christopher is a multi-talented actor, musician, poet, and teacher who recently joined Street Poets as a Teaching Artist. Known for his powerful performances, DeJuan has been cast in numerous productions, including the title role in King Hedley II at St. Louis Black Rep and starred in Malleable, executively produced by Lena Waithe. A co-founder of the Black Creators Collective and creator of the August in August Festival, DeJuan is passionate about using poetry as a tool for learning, community building, and healing. He is excited to bring his talents and experience to the Street Poets community.

Born and Raised in Culver City, CA , Dahlia discovered the transformative power of music from a young age. With multifaceted passion for music production, lyric writing, dance, and DJing, she has left an indelible mark on the industry. Notable achievements include features on platforms like Sirius XM, BReal TV, and Shade 45. Beyond the spotlight Dahlia is committed to nurturing the next generation of artists. She passionately engages with young minds, bringing music and design education to schools and juvenile camp facilities. This dedication to mentorship reflects Dahlia’s beliefs in the profound impact of art on personal development. In addition to Dahlia’s music endeavors, Dahlia explores the realm of digital design and poetry, adding layers to her creative canvas. With roots deeply embedded in both community and artistry, Dahlia continues to craft a narrative that transcends genres, resonating with the heartbeats of those touched by her diverse talents.

PAGES Matam is a genderqueer med school drop-out turned award-winning multi-hyphenate, pleasure advocate and agent of imagination. Born and raised in Cameroon then blossomed in the DMV (Piscataway Land), they love Mario Kart, anime and fried plantains as much as crafting High-concept TV Dramas and poetry that is immigrant AF, Black AF, Queer AF. A national poetry slam champion with fellowships at Callaloo, Circle of Confusion, Artist Disruptors and more, their two decades of creative writing and performance work and radical teaching practice with a focus on social justice is fueled by Toni Morrison’s words: “the function of freedom is to free someone else.”

Sherdes Leona (she/they) is a writer and intermedia artist currently working as a Teaching Artist with Street Poets. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Intermedia and minors in Art History and Political Science, she brings experience in diverse artistic endeavors and arts and culture programming. Originally from Orlando, FL, and now based in LA by way of Phoenix, AZ, her work has been featured nationwide, from schoolyard and coffee shop stages to performing in and displaying work in notable galleries and museums. Their work has been published in Permafrost Magazine, ArtBorne Magazine, Monochrome, and others. Sherdes is a multi-time Grand Slam Champion, Arizona All State Slam Finalist, and has represented at the Women of the World Poetry Slam and National Poetry Slam. In her time working with youth, they have coached multiple youth teams to final stages and served as a judge for the Phoenix Youth Poet Laureate.

Xitlalic Guijosa (she/her) is a poet, writer, printmaker and community organizer from Southeast Los Angeles. For the past 10 years she’s been part of Alivio open mic and SELA Arts Festival. Her work has been published in different literary magazines, zines and anthologies. Currently she has been on the journey of teaching surrounding communities about printmaking, journaling and creative writing as a form of reconnecting with self. Xitlalic’s new art form has been teaching poetry and gardening.

Meet Bryan, the dynamic Coordinator of Community Outreach, Program Evaluation, and Data at Street Poets, boasting over 9 years of business administrative skills and a passion for music and fashion. Bryan serves as both a strategic thinker and a champion of individuality, with a track record that includes winning 1st place in a fashion design competition at just 17 and gracing fashion weeks across the U.S. as a special guest for his Unique Style. Recognizing the transformative impact of creative outlets, especially during formative years, Bryan is a catalyst for community building, leveraging his expertise to foster spaces where diverse voices thrive. He has cultivated a community of Unique Style, boasting a loyal following who resonate with his innovative approach. Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Business, Communication weaved with a Fashion Minor at Arizona State University, Bryan’s commitment to merging creativity with strategic analysis embodies his mission to empower authentic self-expression.

Jaynese ‘Ladybug’ Poole is a multi-passionate creative from South Central and Compton, California. They met Street Poets in 2010 as a youth and are now Managing Artist for Visual Media and Special Projects. Jaynese is the Writer/Director of ‘Hey Stacy’ short film that has screened in festivals like Outfest, PINK APPLE in Zurich, Switzerland, NewFest: New York LGBT Film Festival, and Mardi Gras Film Festival in Sydney, Australia. For 6 years, Jaynese has been a part of the Sunday Jump team as the stage manager and co-resident DJ which has opened the door to support to concert venues and festivals like Levitt Pavilion and Community Arts Resources in Los Angeles County. They are a former member of 4CLab (a non-profit, providing opportunities for young creative visionaries to share their stories through artistic expression), OutSet (The Young Filmmakers Project from LA LGBT Center and Outfest) and the LA County Arts Ed Collective’s Youth Advisory Council. They love Queen Latifah and roller skating to disco music.

Yazmenne Archer is a creative writer, poet, and spoken word artist currently serving as Youth Outreach Coordinator within Street Poets Inc. Originally from South Jersey, Yazmenne is a graduate of The California Institute of The Arts (CalArts) obtaining a MFA in Creative Writing. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Montclair State University. With previous experience as a teaching assistant and in various youth spaces, Yazmenne has brought to Street Poets her unique and warm high energy, vision and organizational skills. Continuing her thesis work from CalArts, she is steadily working on her poetry manuscript while enrolled in Community Literature Initiative’s 10-month publishing program within the Sims Library of Poetry. She fearlessly ventures to new places, and we are so excited that she chose to venture to ours. Yaz’s main work with Street Poets will focus on connecting youth from our school and probation writing workshops with Street Poets’ after-school program offerings and beyond.

Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez is a poet, emcee, speaker, actor, and performance coach from Jacksonville, Florida. He has toured as far as Abu Dhabi and nearly every major city in the United States and Europe, performing, teaching and coaching poetry. A teaching artist for over 15 years, Matthew has spent the last ten years working in youth detention centers across Los Angeles County, currently serving as the Director of Probation Programming for Street Poets, Inc. In addition, he is a current Lead Teacher and Co-Founder of Spoken Literature Art Movement. Cuban has opened for artists such as Wu-Tang, performed for platforms such as BuzzFeed and NPR and even appeared on the award-winning television show, Better Things. Matthew is also a three time Southern Fried poetry slam champion and an award-winning poetry coach. Cuban’s favorite activity is making people feel great; sometimes he does this through hip hop and poetry.

Our board chair, Nick is a product design engineer in the consumer electronics industry and currently works at Snap Inc. on camera development. He helped to start SnapNoir which provides a forum for fostering cultural understanding, diversity, and professional development for people of the African diaspora at Snap and in the community.

Alison is a tv writer/producer and playwright. She has extensive experience as a community organizer and served for many years on the staff of Street Poets, where she facilitated a writing program for teen mothers.

Chenjerai Kumanyika is an assistant professor in NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. His research and teaching focus on popular culture and social justice. Alongside a variety of other scholarly and journalistic writing, scholarly work, Professor Kumanyika specializes in using narrative non-fiction audio journalism to critique the ideology of the American historical myths about issues such as race, the civil war, and policing. Professor Kumanyika was the Co-Executive Producer and Co-Host of Uncivil, Gimlet Media’s Peabody award-winning podcast about the Civil War. He is also the Collaborator for Scene on Radio‘s Season 2 “Seeing White,” and Season 4 on the history of American Democracy. Professor Kumanyika is currently working on a podcast with Crooked Media about the history of the police in American popular culture. In addition to his work on the Street Poets Board, Dr. Kumanyika also serves on the Board of the Moth, and on a number of other advisory boards for organizations working through arts and advocacy.

A recording/performing artist, writer, facilitator, educator and former Street Poets Program Director, Chirag now serves as a Principal with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consulting firm Third Settlements, while continuing to record and release music under the name Chee Malabar.

Don Flood is a veteran photographer specializing in celebrity portraiture and beauty advertising. He also is founder and creative director of FliePaper, a photo-based wallpaper line that’s included in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum. He is a huge advocate of architectural preservation and is active in the architecture & design community near his home in Rancho Mirage, CA.

Julie is a full-time mediator and founder of Julie Arias Young Mediation. Julie has served on the Street Poets board since 2012.

Recently retired as a Partner and Portfolio Manager in the London office of Capital International Investors (a division of LA-based Capital Group Companies), where he worked for 28 years. He is active with the Center for Action and Contemplation’s Living School, and also Camino Nuevo Charter Academy where he chairs the college scholarships committee. Ric is Mexican-American and fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Rona serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Cashmere Agency, a “Culture Agency” providing strategic marketing/PR/branding consulting for a wide-range of entertainment/media companies and artists.

Despite his best efforts, Sean learned a lot about the shoe business at great brands like Nike, ASICS, and Vans. Later, he struck out on his own helping to build companies like TOMS, and now COMUNITYmade who are manufacturing great designs locally while serving the community. Sean believes that there are very few valid excuses not to be happy and he rides his bike almost everywhere.

Susannah is a screenwriter/producer/director. Her credits include such projects as Netflix’s Unbelievable, HBO’s Confirmation, Ever After, and Erin Brockovich.

A founding member of Street Poets’ first performance group in the late 90s, Taylor later served as a teaching artist with the organization, returning to many of the same juvenile probation facilities that once housed him as a youth to mentor and facilitate writing workshops for our next generation of Street Poets. He is currently in the process of finishing up his college studies and professional certifications in Computer Science/Information Technology (specializing in Cyber Security).

Travis is a licensed psychologist and is an Associate Professor at San Diego State University where he serves as Chair of the department of Counseling & School Psychology. Past work he’s been involved with looked at shifting from a multicultural approach to counseling to one of cultural democracy that invites people to heal in mediums that are culturally near. His most recent work involves incorporating the work of Black abolitionist scholars into psychotherapy, community healing, and uprising. His writing has focused on the use of rap music in narrative therapy, working with persons entangled in the criminal injustice system in ways that maintain their dignity, narrative practice stories as pedagogy, a co-created questioning practice called reunion questions, and community healing
strategies. He is co-author, with David Epston and Tom Carlson, of the first book on Contemporary Narrative Therapy released in June 2022 entitled, “Reimagining Narrative Therapy Through Practice Stories and Autoethnography.” The book is part of the “Writing Lives” series with Routledge publishing. Travis has been fortunate to run workshops and speak in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, India, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, United Kingdom, and United States.