Meet Our Showcase Poets
Azizi Jasper
Author, comedian, community organizer, influencer,, and poet Azizi Jasper is a dynamic performer and a passionate voice for social justice, literary arts, and Pan Africanism. He has shared the stage along-side a who’s who of influencers including the great poet Gil Scott Heron, Marvin Sapp, Slum Village, Saul Williams, & Min. Louis Farrakhan to name a few. His presentations are lively, powerful, and thought provoking, leaving listeners amazed with a potent mixture of content and wordplay.
Jasper has been featured alongside former Grand Rapids poet laureates in the acclaimed compilation “Song of the Owashtanong” (Also Avail on Amazon). He is the founder of several open mic series spanning from his native Grand Rapids, including the longest running spoken word open mic in W. MI, Smokin Spoken Word.
Dr. Will Langford
Dr. William T. Langford IV, AKA Will "The Poet" Langford, is a community-engaged teaching artist and Fulbright ETA Alumnus (Kenya). He divides his energy between education and community development projects in Michigan, the U.S, and East Africa-alongside the Children & Youth Empowerment Center in Nyeri, Kenya. Will is also a visual artist-drawing inspiration from Detroit's vibrant community of mural artists.
Meet Our Host
One Single Rose®

Rosemarie Wilson a.k.a. One Single Rose® is an award-winning poet and playwright, spoken word artist, singer/songwriter, actress, filmmaker, author of three self-published poetry collections, nice and naughty chapbooks. Rosemarie is the first poet to be filmed in Motown’s infamous Studio A and the first Motown Mic Performance Artist of the Year. Debuting in Detroit as an actor, she has performed nationally and internationally in a few amazing productions. Her notable performances include singing the National Anthem at Detroit Pistons and Motor City Cruise games, TMZ Live commentary cast member, SoFar Detroit performing artist, the Floacist’s Flovertex and Sidewalk Festivals of the Performing Arts in Detroit, MI, Kistrech Poetry Festival in Kisii and Nairobi, Kenya, Piton International Film Festival in St. Lucia, International Videopoetry Festival in Athens, Greece as well as a one-year tour in Europe. She is Piton’s poet laureate and a featured artist and songwriter dubbed Queen Rose with Defected Records, the United Kingdom’s #1 house music record label. Find her streaming on all platforms as One Single Rose® or Queen Rose. She is also the first recipient of the Detroit Black Music Spoken Word Award and the first poet published under the Broadside-Lotus Press merger, two of the oldest African-American presses in the United States. As a poetry host, she has hosted various open mics and events as well as performed for local and international dignitaries. For more information on One Single Rose®, visit www.onesinglerose.com to peek into her rose garden.



For additional information on Matrix Poetry Residencies please contact, Amy Johnson, at ajohnson@matrixtheatre.org or 313-967-0999, ext. 4
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