"Cat Poem" by Get Lit LA (Brave New Voices)

The best youth poets from around the world take center stage at the 18th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival for a week of workshops, performances, and inspiration from July 15 – 18, 2015. This year, we head to the Cultural Mecca of the South – Atlanta, Georgia. Powered by Youth Speaks, the festival invites young people to take part in as many as 20 workshops and 50 events in just a few days In a world where the lives of young people are in question of mattering, this generation has been charged with activism and artistry to give light to the adversity we experience. Atlanta has faced wild fire in its history, and from its ashes, #BNV15 serves as a phoenix harnessing fearlessness and using words, stories, and songs to fill the belly of the city. Youth Speaks creates safe spaces to empower the next generation of leaders, self-defined artists, and visionary activists through written and oral literacies. We challenge youth to find, develop, publicly present, and apply their voices as creators of social change.