Olu Butterfly Woods
Summary of Credentials
Education
General : BSE Mechanical Engineering UMBC, Meyerhoff Scholar, Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society, Golden Key Honor Society, National Achievement Scholar, (MVP Women’s Indoor Track, Scholar-Athlete Award), Internships with NASA, Georgia Tech, Johns Hopkins University, University of Florida | McDonogh School | Writing : Creative Writing Workshops with various instructors including Kelly Ellis, Sonia Sanchez, Michael Harper| Technical Writing Workshops (UFL, GT, UMBC) | Performance: Sidwell Friends Performance Ensemble, City At Peace youth produced plays
Opened For/Performed With such historically important/multi-platinum artists
Fertile Ground, Erykah Badu, Amiri Baraka, Hugh Masekala, MeShell N’Degeocello, Cassandra Wilson, Saul Williams, jessica Care moore, India Arie, Cee-Lo, Amel Larrieux, Bilal, Donnie, JazzyFatNastees, Ursula Rucker, Anthony Hamilton, Julie Dexter, Haki Madhubuti, Sonia Sanchez, The Last Poets, Little Brother
Venues
The Capital Jazz Fest, The Black Cat, Carter-Baron, 930 Club (DC), Bar 13, SOB’s, BB King’s, Joe’s Pub, Wordstock (NY), The Cotton Club, National Black Arts Festival (ATL), Baltimore Museum of Art, Artscape, Jazzy Summer Nights, Walter’s Art Gallery, Fletcher’s (Bmore), Eden Project, University of East Anglia, London’s Jazz Café (UK), Nighttown (NL), Break Beats & Culture Festival (Toronto), Furious Flowers Conference (VA), The Green Mill, The Hot House (CHI), Hampshire Reproductive Rights Conference, U Mass Hip Hop Conference (MA)
Media
Publications : The Revenge of Dandelionscollection of poems, “June Jordan’s War On Terrorism” in BWA’s Wordhouse | CD: Fertile Ground CDs: Black Is…, Seasons Change, Spiritual War; UK Counterpoint Records Jazz Bizniz 3, Torchlight Entertainment’s The Rebel Soul Revue, 5thL’s Circle Circle Dot Dot. | TV/DVDSpoken on The Black Family Channel, Image Entertainment’s 5 Conversations On Soul, Project Words, Da Poet’s Joint on MHZ, FOX 45 News | Radio: 92Q, WEAA, WHUR, WPFW, WOL | Print: Featured in articles in Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore Sun, Black Issues Book Review
Awards
Arts In Community Grant Recipient-Maryland State Arts Council 2004 | Best Grass-Roots Poet-Baltimore City Paper | Best Poetry Book 2002-BIBR | Best-Dressed Poet-People’s Poetry Awards 2003 | Favorite All Around Female Poet-People’s Poetry Awards 2003
Production Experience
Founding Director of Poetry for the People Baltimore (P4PB) 2000-present: Produced Ladies Verse, Speak N Spin, Battle uv da Skoolz Intercollegiate Poetry Slam | Creative Director Blackout Studios 2000-present: Produce Organic Soul Tuesdays, African-American Heritage Festival B-Stage | Poet Coordinator for 92Q’s Love Zone Lounge series | Spoken World/Starvin Artists Entertainment Productions: Monthly themed artist showcases & an Open Mic series Larry Stewart’s | General hosting, stage managing, marketing, distribution, and consulting
Dance Experience
Principle Company member, Sankofa Dance Theater 1991-present: Chuck Davis’s Dance Africa-BAM,Chicago,DC, selected to represent Baltimore in cultural exchange program with Rotterdam, NL | Studied under master dancers including Youssef Koumbassa (Guinea), Marie Bass-Wiles (Senegal), Nai Zhou Olivier (Ivory Coast) | Kan Kouran West African Youth Ensemble | DC Youth Ensemble
Choreographer & Performer: African/Latino dance for presentations at Critical Resistance East with Angela Y. Davis | Fertile Ground concert opening for Rachelle Ferrel | Cultural Ambassador: one-month artist residency with Ballet Jo Dance Company, Dakar, Senegal 1999
Youth/Community Experience
General: Rapid Success Tutoring | BCPS Math Instructor | Old Court Middle School regular substitute instructor
Workshops: AARP’s Connecting Generations: 50 th Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education interactive poetry/storytelling tour | Creative Writing/ Performance Poetry and African Dance Workshops with One World Cultural Arts Society-various sites | YMCA Afterschool | Baltimore Writers’ Alliance Workout Youth Workshops | Sankofa Dance Theater Afterschool Instructor
Presenter: Girls BELIEVE, Youth Explosion | Wombwork’s Nu World productions | Green Meadows, Inc. National Cultural Presentations| Good Shepard | Salisbury State Youth Summer Arts Camp | Rosedale Library Teen Slam
Youth Talent Facilitator: Kids On The Hill Youth Open Mic | Covenant House Teen Pregnancy Prevention Fair | Youth Warriors Slam at Port Discovery | PAL Center | St. Frances Academy
Detention Facilities: Baltimore City Jail High School | Baltimore Women’s Detention Center | Pennsylvania Correctional Facilities Sankofa Dance Theater Tours
Speaker/Panelist
Howard University: guest lecture-Contemporary Poetry, guest reader Poetry Workshop and Freshman Poetry Workshop, guest reader | Sojourner Douglass College: guest speaker-Urban Leadership | Ripe Harvest Foundation’s Write Now! Literary Conference panelist | Generation Excellence motivational speaker, Coppin State
