In an effort to provide more cutting edge engagement through the arts, Art as an Agent for Change hosts the 4th Annual Poetic Notions Poetry Festival, which takes place at 8pm April 9th at the Georgia College Blackbox Theater.

Slam Poetry, Performance Poetry or Spoken Word, as it’s called by many, is an edgy art form inspired by the age old traditions of story-telling and oral history. Poetry has experienced revolutionary changes throughout history and due to a recent shift in the way poetry is consumed; books are no longer the only way poetry reaches the masses. Poets can now be viewed performing their pieces out-loud and in person via television, social networking sites, slam poetry contests, and open-mics. As a result, the art of poetry is gaining new popularity amongst the public and Art as an Agent for Change offers its annual Poetic Notions Poetry Festival to bring the dynamic styling’s of spoken word to Milledgeville, Ga.

This year’s event features the Java Monkey Slam Team from Atlanta, GA.,. Java Monkey is currently ranked in 5th in the nation in Slam and they will take center stage at this year’s poetry festival. The event will be hosted by one of Macon’s finest poets and Mercer University Grad Student Mike Scott. The line-up is also filled with the phenomenally talented student poets of Georgia College and musicians from Blackbird Coffee’s Acoustic Night. The event is sponsored by the Georgia College Student Government Association and the GCSU M.A.L.E. Connection. Paul Grigsby, the Founder and Director of Art as an Agent for Change mentioned, “I am pleased to have these wonderful sponsors and talented artists on board for the show. Their support brought the show together, and we are looking to make this one of the most memorable Poetic Notions Poetry Festivals on record.”

Poetic Notions was started when Grigsby saw that Milledgeville lacked a large poetry festival during the month of April, which is National Poetry Month. Grigsby along with several other Georgia College students hosted the inaugural event in 2008 and has since developed the program into a statewide festival that brings in some of Georgia’s most talented slam and performance poets.

Art as an Agent for Change is a 501 c 3 tax-exempt organization that was found in 2006 by three college students that wanted to provide entertainment and arts education that truly educated, inspired, and entertained. Art as an Agent for Change has since adapted a mission that promotes artistic collaboration, community engagement, and working towards social change through arts education.