HIRAM LAREW & JC WAYNE: HOSTS OF THE ART AUCTION TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER

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And now we are on the eve of the Art Auction to Alleviate Hunger launch. You gardeners out there know what it feels like to till the soil, plant a seed, watch it take root, water it with care and attention, then watch it bloom, blossom and bear fruit or flower. My co-creators in this venture have been planting “seeds of good” for many years, and it has been my privilege to till the soil alongside them for the past few months in this garden of giving. I’m speaking of Hiram Larew and JC Wayne.

HIRAM LAREW- Poetry X Hunger Founder

It was my good fortune that Hiram chose me to narrate the audiobook version of his fifth published poetry collection, Mud Ajar by Atmosphere Press in 2021. That was our first collaboration and we’ve been collaborating joyfully since. So who is Hiram Larew?

In part, Hiram Larew, founder of Poetry X Hunger- the website devoted to poetry about physical hunger and the online home of the poetry that inspired the art for this auction- is a Maryland-based poet who is committed to using words to make the world a better place. But Hiram is far more than that, and he has used more than words in his quest to make the world a better place.

On one stop of his world-enhancing journey, he served as the Director of International Programs within USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, where he guided global farming programs in extension, research, and teaching. Along the way, he also worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as an agricultural and higher education policy specialist. This life-long effort began with Hiram serving as a research scientist with USDA’sAgricultural Research Service.

After retiring from the USDA, he founded Poetry X Hunger, an unprecedented program that encourages poets to write about physical hunger and publishes the poems on the Poetry X Hunger website. In Hiram’s own words, “Poetry X Hunger strives to link the power of poetry to the cause of hunger alleviation in the U.S. and around the world.”

This Poetry X Hunger initiative, which brings poets from around the world to the anti-hunger cause, has been featured by organizers of Pennsylvania State University’s 2021 Global Learning in Agriculture Conference, by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and by food banks and arts organizations.

Hiram also founded The Voices of Woodlawn as a way to give voice to the largely erased enslaved community at historic plantations. He also received support from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Arts and Humanities Council of Prince George's County, Maryland to organize The Poetry Poster Project, which displayed poetry by a diverse group of poets as artwork throughout the Washington, D. C. area.

Below are pertinent links to a more detailed exploration of Hiram Larew’s world of poetry:

Hiram’s personal poetry website: https://www.hiramlarewpoetry.com/

Hiram’s Poetry X Hunger creation: https://www.poetryxhunger.com/

Hiram on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hiramlarew4314/videos

Hiram doing what he does with Sistah Joy Alford on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnrHgvarJzY

The most gratifying aspects of my foray into the world of poetry have been the incredibly industrious and talented beings I have met, and the collaborations I’ve enjoyed with those beings. Meeting and sharing creative space with JC Wayne have been highlights of this foray.

JC WAYNE- The Poartry Project Founder

JC Wayne, founder of The Poartry Project, conceives of herself as an “emissary of beauty, perception, insight, and discovery.” She is a poet specializing in ekphrasis, nature and existential poetry that explores inner and outer landscapes; a visual artist noted for using eco-friendly, plant-based materials; a cartographer of the unseen; a poetry and art adventure guide; and a certified creative aging teaching.

As a poet and visual artist, she aims to foster, evoke, and celebrate the potential in all lives; to cultivate wise interpretation and discernment; to nurture courteous communication as civil world citizens; and build bridges of understanding, wonder and discovery of the magic of our great adventure together across the universe through the power and energy of language expressed as poetry, spoken word, art, and wisdom illumination.

Although she is now immersed in the world of poartry, JC did try the somewhat beaten path, earning a BA in International Relations and Art History with Honors at Brown University and a MA in Diplomatic History and International Comparative Politics as a distinguished Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellow at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Harvard and Tufts Universities. Early in her career, she was a visible and celebrated futurist thought leader and adviser to other leaders.

JC's calling and goal as founder of The Poartry Project is building loving worlds through loving words and art by applying the practice of "poartry" - the highly-trained, uniquely-adept artistry she has conceived and pioneers. Using poartry, she interprets and translates the energy of language as words and visuals consciously, skillfully, and systematically for good.

Among a host of other roles, JC serves as Director of Youth Activities for the New MexicoState Poetry Society and Youth Chair of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. Her inaugural book of poetry is Voicing Art: Poetry of Space | Place | Time (2019). She is currently working on a second volume, Voicing Art: Poetry in Place, and a book sharing her pioneering practice of poartry, Poartry: Creating with the Energy of Language as a Force of Good.

With her partner Kain, JC is engaged in several “initiatives for good.” Below are some links to explore JC and Kain’s “World of Good” and beyond:

JC’s brand-new website: https://www.jcwayne.com/

Kain and JC’s World of Good: 

https://worldgood.org/

JC’s “original endeavor for kids”: 

https://iloveenergy.org/

JC’s Guild of Good on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhCJUUTtQ_XfsSjyVfhd6L8w1ndzzWGYD

JC interviewed by Bruce Wilson at Arts So Wonderful on Town Meeting TV: 

https://www.cctv.org/watch-tv/programs/arts-so-wonderful-where-world-free-little-poetry

Well folks, these are the incredible individuals who will be hosting you tomorrow at the Art Auction to Alleviate Hunger. They'll join you, the other "creatives for good," and me in amplifying the efforts of Feed the Children. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you tomorrow! Remember, the auction runs from tomorrow, Saturday, December 3rd, at 2pm eastern through Saturday, December 17th, at 2pm eastern. AND you don't have to bid to be there in support. 

Below are links related to the auction that should provide you with all the information you might need.

Auction Zoom Launch Registration Link:
http://tinyurl.com/hungerartauction

Link to Auction on Better World Website:
https://poetryxhunger.betterworld.org/auctions/art-auction-fighting-hunger

Feed the Children Donation Link:
http://tinyurl.com/donatetofeedthechildren

Facebook event link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1142967853019397/

Auction Livestream Link (Hiram Larew's Facebook):
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084745897034

Art Auction Guide:
https://www.poetryxhunger.com/uploads/1/2/5/7/125799040/auction_guide_1130_2022.pdf

The Poartry Project's Auction Context & Backstory:
https://poartry.org/art-auction-for-alleviating-hunger/

Poetry X Hunger Auction Info Page:
https://www.poetryxhunger.com/art-auction-to-alleviate-hunger.html

Director of Program impact and Disaster Services for Feed the Children John Ricketts’ video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqdZ2phb7fs

Auction Overview Video:
https://youtu.be/h_Bk25MZu8U

Poet Henry Crawford’s art piece and poem video:
https://youtu.be/e6_9v5Sq4_s

Auction Participants’ Bios 1:
https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/2022/11/artist-poet-bios-alleviating-hunger.html

Auction Participants’ Bios 2:
https://tapoetexpress.blogspot.com/2022/11/httpstapoetexpress.blogspot.com202211highlightappearances.html