The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation sponsored our Founder and Executive Director, Diane Luby Lane, to take three Harvard University courses (Public Narrative: Leadership, Storytelling, and Action; Leadership for the 21st Century; and Strategic Fundraising for Nonprofit Leaders) constituting a Non-profit Leadership Certificate. From this professional training, she developed a curriculum for our staff and Creative Career Lab, passing along this knowledge to serve over 110 young professionals over the course of three years.

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Congratulations, Diane! Your passion for language and learning continues to illuminate the path for your local and global community.

We are thrilled to announce that our documentary Beyond Words: Verses of Change airs Friday, December 13th at 8PM PST! We had the incredible privilege of working with the brilliant team at Sun and Moon Films as they followed the journey of Get Lit students who navigated their way to one of the biggest youth poetry stages in the world: The Classic Slam.

In Beyond Words, students from Zane Grey Continuation High School overcome personal struggles—including family loss and addiction—by engaging with poetry. The documentary highlights how they find strength, healing, and a sense of belonging through this powerful art form.

Watch here

Dr. King, speaking of his pursuit of change in the face of uncertain times, once said, "There is a certain kind of fire that no water can put out." Today, we are once again at that point in history—a movement towards change—and once again, it is young people proving to be an unstoppable force when they have change in sight. Come, witness their certain kind of fire.

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Get Lit Presents: A Certain Kind of Fire @ UCLA Nimoy Theater → Join us at UCLA Nimoy Theater, where Get Lit and CAP UCLA  present a night of immersive storytelling through music, spoken word and film.

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Come celebrate the most talented emerging artists alongside Get Lit's internationally acclaimed roster of Spoken Word performers. This partnership between UCLA Nimoy Theater and Get Lit promises an unforgettable experience and bold artistic expression. Don't miss out—reserve your FREE seats now for an evening that will leave you inspired and ignited.

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Date: May 31

Time: Doors at 7pm

Location: UCLA Nimoy Theater

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Get your tickets here!

The Los Angeles Times featured Get Lit in an article written by Malia Mendez all about the 'Our Words Collide' documentary release on streaming platforms and our annual Classic Slam.

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Read an excerpt below:

"Not only, then, is Get Lit a champion for a declining art form, or an antidote to falling literacy rates in the pandemic’s wake; it has been a saving grace for young people struggling to envision a future for themselves.

“It’s shocking to me to see how many kids don’t have that experience of just true, unconditional love, like, ‘You’re accepted and loved for exactly who you are, and I’m here for you as you figure yourself out,’” [Rosario] Dawson said. “I’m really grateful for Get Lit and for the filmmakers and for this project for highlighting just how special and important it is to do that for the young.”"

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Read the full article here.

OUR WORDS COLLIDE is now available to rent or own on all cable, satellite and digital platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV!

From Executive Producer Rosario Dawson, OUR WORDS COLLIDE tells the story of five teenage spoken word poets from Get Lit's youth programming. Follow these young artists as they navigate high school and explore the many challenges young people face today – including identity, expression, transitioning into adulthood and overcoming mental health issues – through the unique prism of their poetry.

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Find OUR WORDS COLLIDE wherever you stream your movies!

A new article from EdSource, a premier national publication for news about education, recently came out featuring Get Lit and our work in classrooms to uplift literacy using poetry. Written by award-winning writer and four-time Pulitzer juror Karen D'Souza, the article walks through Get Lit's history, work with students, and our vision for the future of literacy through poetry.

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Read the full article here and an excerpt below:

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"Amid a deepening literacy crisis, Get Lit spreads a love of literature through spoken word poetry and performance. Founded by actor/writer Diane Luby Lane in 2006, Get Lit, which recently received $1 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, teaches classical poetry as well as empowers children and teens to write their own poems in over 150 Los Angeles schools, instilling a love of language in a generation often struggling with literacy.

“Spoken word really helps with literacy,” said Lane. “It really helps when you put your body on the line, when you’re not just listening passively, but you’re actually memorizing, you’re performing, you’re responding with your own words. It’s such an interactive experience.”"

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Over the weekend, Get Lit's Founder and CEO Diane Luby Lane appeared on KFI Channel AM 640 to talk all about the Classic Slam for iHeart Radio's KFI Featured Segments.

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You can listen to the full segment here!

GET LIT - WORDS IGNITE RECEIVES $1 MILLION GIFT FROM THE YIELD GIVING OPEN CALL

Los Angeles, CA. March 19, 2024 – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced Get Lit - Words Ignite as one of the Yield Giving Open Call’s awardees working with people and in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States. Get Lit received $1 million.

Get Lit - Words Ignite is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit founded in 2006 by author and educator Diane Luby Lane, that uses spoken word poetry to increase teen literacy and student engagement, while providing valuable career training in the arts. Through in- and after-school programs centered on classic and contemporary poetry and multi-media expression, Get Lit advances education, promotes literacy, and offers opportunities for young people to create community and raise up their authentic voices. The programs span from the classroom to career including training in high-demand fields leading to life-changing creative opportunities, internships, scholarships, and jobs.

In March 2023, Yield Giving launched an Open Call for community-led, community-focused organizations whose explicit purpose is to enable individuals and families to achieve substantive improvement in their well-being through foundational resources.

“We are thrilled to receive this game-changing gift from the Yield Foundation,” said Get Lit Founder and CEO, Diane Luby Lane.  “Get Lit is working to close the literacy gap while improving youth mental health. This money will allow us to deepen our work and expand our reach, providing more arts in education to students throughout Los Angeles County and beyond. The power of Spoken Word is proven to increase literacy and help foster community, and we are delighted to bring our curriculum to young people everywhere.”

"We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations," said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change. "In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.”

More information on the Yield Giving Open Call and other initiatives can be found at www.leverforchange.org.

The Open Call received 6,353 applications and initially planned for 250 awards of $1 million each. In the Fall of 2023, organizations top-rated by their peers advanced to a second round of review by an external Evaluation Panel recruited for experience relevant to this cause, and underwent a final round of due diligence. In light of the incredible work of these organizations, as judged by their peers and external panelists, the donor team decided to expand the awardee pool and the award amount.

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About Get Lit

Get Lit - Words Ignite is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit founded in 2006 by author and educator Diane Luby Lane. Get Lit uses spoken word poetry to increase teen literacy and student engagement while providing valuable career training in the arts. Through in- and after-school programs centered on classic and contemporary poetry and multi-media expression, Get Lit advances education, promotes literacy, and offers opportunities for under-resourced young people to create community, transform their lives, and raise up their authentic voices. The programs span from the classroom to career including training in high-demand fields leading to life-changing creative opportunities, internships, scholarships, and jobs.

Using Get Lit’s unique call-and-response model, students identify classic poems that resonate with their own stories, and write original responses, inspiring students to discover, develop, and amplify their voices while learning and exploring classic poetry from the past and present.  At Get Lit, “a classic isn’t a classic because it’s old, a classic is a classic because it’s great.”  

Get Lit recently launched Uni(verse), the world's first interactive poetry platform for the classroom, community, and beyond. Get Lit’s Uni(verse) will enable students throughout the US and internationally to take Get Lit’s standards-aligned “Words Ignite” course online and to exchange ideas both within and outside of school. Uni(verse) will build and strengthen communication, collaboration, empathy, and community throughout the world through the vehicle of poetry.

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About Yield Giving

Established by MacKenzie Scott to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people, Yield Giving is named after a belief in adding value by giving up control. To date, Yield’s network of staff and advisors has yielded over $16,500,000,000 to 1,900+ non-profit teams to use as they see fit for the benefit of others. To learn more, visit www.yieldgiving.com.

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About Lever for Change

Lever for Change connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change. Using an inclusive, equitable model and due diligence process, Lever for Change creates customized challenges and other tailored funding opportunities. Top-ranked teams and challenge finalists become members of the Bold Solutions Network—a growing global network that helps secure additional funding, amplify members’ impact, and accelerate social change. Founded in 2019 as a nonprofit affiliate of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lever for Change has influenced over $1.7 billion in grants to date and provided support to more than 145 organizations. To learn more, visit www.leverforchange.org.

We are thrilled to share the details of the amazing year we had, all thanks to YOU: our community, our donors, and all of our awesome poets, educators, and volunteers.

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Click here to download and read the Report.

Yesterday, CBS’ Daytime Emmy Award-winning “The Talk" celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a feature by Get Lit Player Marlee Porter, who performed an inspiring and powerful Spoken Word piece in his honor.

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The daily one-hour series features a panel of entertainment personalities discussing current events, pop culture, family, celebrity and trending topics of the day as well as celebrity guest interviews, musical performances, cooking segments and human interest stories. Watch Marlee’s full performance of her original poem “A Dream Realized” here!

The ongoing partnership between Fox and Get Lit for the Fox #TVForAll campaign continued this Holiday season! Fox debuted an original poem “A Warm Feeling” in celebration of this holiday season. “A Warm Feeling,” which was written and performed by 17 year-old Get Lit Player Marlee Porter, will be shared across local FOX stations and FOX digital. Click here to watch and share the performance!

Get Lit featured in the Hollywood Reporter's article on the hottest events of the week:

"Take a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including events for Poor Things, The Color Purple and American Fiction.

Get Lit- Words Ignite — the Los Angeles-based education nonprofit whose mission is to increase literacy, mobilize youth, and energize communities through poetry and visual media — honored Anderson .Paak at its event on Saturday. WME and Vans were also recognized as this year’s Ignite Award honorees."

Read the full article by Kristen Chuba here.

Get Lit featured in an amazing article by Skylar Zachian in Young Hollywood. Read an excerpt below! 

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"If you love poetry, film, music, or any other form of creative expression, you’ll definitely want to learn about Get Lit - Words Ignite. A Non Profit Organization based in Los Angeles whose mission is to increase literacy and empower youth, Get Lit has numerous unique opportunities for youth in L.A. and across the globe.

Get Lit started in 2006 by introducing young people to classic poetry in new and exciting ways. The organization created a program for schools that invites youth to choose poetry that speaks to them, interpret and bring the pieces to life through performance, and then respond with their own original spoken word poems.

Founder Diane Luby Lane explains that it is “really important that a young person claims the piece that speaks to them. If I make you memorize a poem, it’s not fun if it is something you don’t personally relate to. If you claim a poem, you can represent it in a more powerful, deep way.”

It’s not hyperbole to say that hundreds of thousands of TikTok users would agree! Check out this viral clip of a Get Lit spoken-word performance!

She also notes that Get Lit initiatives “started as an in-school program, but kids didn’t want to stop! They went after school, and then we started the Get Lit Players, a group of kids that would meet every week and memorize more and more poems. They would do amazing performances, traveling across the country to do all these cool shows.”

Over the years, the Get Lit Players have performed at the White House 3 times, opened for John Legend at the Hollywood Bowl, and have performed at the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center!

How did Get Lit expand over the years to include other forms of artistic expression? When heading to events, the Players would bring along some of their friends who were videographers. Diane Luby Lane “would hire grown-ups to film them, and sometimes the footage we got from the younger people was better than the footage we got from the people we hired! We started to realize that poetry is more than just poets. It’s a community. We need people who know how to host live shows, and DJ at the shows, and film them, and it kind of grew to incorporate all kinds of young people with all different talents.”

The first major film project that the group undertook ended up opening for the Sundance Film Festival in 2019! The director, Carlos Lopez Estrada, who is an Oscar-nominated film director and a talented music video director, “had his brain just blown” when he watched the Players perform. Apparently, “he couldn’t believe all of the parts of L.A. that these young people represent and all of their different stories. He said, 'What if they each create their own little vignette and tell me how they see it being shot?', and that’s exactly what they did!"

Get Lit currently offers the Get Lit Player program, free Saturday drop-in classes for any young person who wants to come, a monthly open-mic night, filmmaker and screenwriter labs, and mixtape master classes! They’ve also developed full-year in-school courses that satisfy curriculum requirements, including the new Ethnic Studies requirement in California school districts! Plus, for those in California and outside of California, Get Lit recently launched a platform called "Uni(verse)" that can connect poets not just across classrooms but also across the world! A teacher will instruct the course live, and “students can write their poems online, create online portfolios, film and post videos of them, and communicate with other students across the globe.”

Just last Saturday (December 2), Get Lit hosted a Gala with the goal of raising enough money to make their curriculum (including the Classic Slam competition, Poetic Convergence where they train student leaders and teachers, and school visits from the Get Lit Players) free for all new interested schools. The Gala honoredAnderson .Paak and celebrated their supporters VANS and WME. Also featured at the Gala were Get Lit Poets along with the National Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S. Salome Agbaroji and LAUSD Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho.

Board Member Geffri Maya Hightower and her castmates from the hit show “All American” also attended in support of the organization.

Chances are, you know Anderson .Paak as an 8-time Grammy-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He recently formed the duo Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars, and they worked together to write hit songs like “Leave The Door Open”. But did you know that he also started The Brandon Anderson Foundation? Their .Paak House initiative provides an outlet for community outreach, summer programs, and more.

In 2024, Get Lit is partnering with .Paak House to create a brand new opportunity — The Get Lit Creative Lab! This free experience will offer youth ages 12-19 the ability to create in the realms of writing, film, and music as well as be mentored by industry giants! When asked what the Creative Lab will look like, Diane Luby Lane said, “We have this office at the Granada building in L.A. right outside of Koreatown. It is such a beautiful space, and we have film equipment, editing equipment, and art, and our vision is that it’s filled with young creators. Whatever they want to create, we know professionals that want to help amplify and share their work.” The Creative Lab will be a great resource for young people looking for career preparation and industry exposure. On top of that, the program ends with Anderson .Paak’s annual .Paak House In The Park concert for thousands of L.A. youth!

If you’re in Southern California, you can express interest in the program here by December 31.

Through all of its unique initiatives, Get Lit is “Wrapping [their] arms around this part of the country and lifting it.” As Diane Luby Lane puts it, “So often, the way that we educate young people is through means that are so antiquated that it just doesn’t feel alive and relevant anymore. Our program offers a very dynamic way of learning.” Her vision is that “literacy rates will rise so high in L.A. that people all over the country will say, 'What is happening in schools in Los Angeles?', and they can point to this curriculum and use it as a model for the rest of the nation.”

Whether it be in or out of the classroom, performing poetry or creating art through visual media, Get Lit is changing the game for youth creative expression. Its programs increase literacy and create community like never seen before. The future is bright, so Get Lit! "

Original article by Skylar Zachian.

Find the exclusive carpet interviews from the event in the original article by Gig Patta. Here's an excerpt:

"In its annual gala, Get Lit honored renowned musician Anderson .Paak during the show.

The fundraiser and gala raised funds to increase literacy, mobilize youth and energize communities through poetry and visual media.

The attendees of the event included Get Lit founder Diane Luby Lane, Get Lit board member and All American actress Geffri Maya, National Youth Poet Laureate Salome Agbaroji, poet Angélica María, Snowfall actress Taylor Polidore, League of their Own actress Chanté Adams, and executives from WME and Vans.

The honoree Anderson .Paak is an eight-time Grammy winner, producer, songwriter, artist, and director. His 2020 single “Lockdown” is recognized as one of the best songs that year, including President Barack Obama’s annual favorite music list. He formed the R&B superduo Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars with the debut single “Leave The Door Open” in 2021 and received four Grammy Awards.

Get Lit is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit organization founded in 2006 that promotes spoken word and visual media to improve literacy and empower youth and their communities. The after-school programs center on classic and contemporary poetry and multi-media expressions. Also, the program assists young people from the classroom to their careers through training with creative opportunities, internships, scholarships, and jobs. The organization offers opportunities for under-resourced young people to create community, transform their lives, and raise their authentic voices.

LRM Online’s Gig Patta was on the red carpet to speak with Anderson .Paak and other guests of the event."

Find where to watch the exclusive carpet interviews from the event in the original article by Gig Patta.

Last month our founder Diane Luby Lane traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the Successful Practices Honoree Award for our platform Uni (Verse) platform. 

The Library of Congress Literacy Awards are intended to draw public attention to the importance of literacy, and the need to promote literacy and encourage reading.

Since 2013, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program has awarded more than $3 million in prizes to more than 180 institutions in 39 countries. By recognizing current achievements, the awards seek to enable any organization or program that does not operate on a for-profit basis to strengthen its involvement in literacy and reading promotion and to encourage collaboration with like-minded organizations.

Get Lit – Words Ignite is gearing up for its 13th Annual Gala, which promises to be a literary extravaganza. This year’s affair, set to take place on December 2, 2023, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, is poised to honor musical maestro Anderson .Paak and shine a spotlight on the creative forces of WME and VANS.

It’s a night where the worlds of music, poetry, and Hollywood collide. Get Lit’s 13th Annual Gala is bringing together a lineup that includes the multi-talented Anderson .Paak, Diane Luby Lane (Founder, Get Lit), Geffri Maya (Get Lit Board Member and All American), Daniel Ezra (All American), Michael Evans Behling (All American), Salome Agbaroji (National Youth Poet Laureate), the poetic prowess of Angélica María, Terayle Hill (Judas and the Black Messiah) and top executives from WME and VANS.

The night will honor musical maverick Anderson .Paak, as he takes center stage at the event. The 8-time GRAMMY winner, producer, songwriter, artist, and director will be in the spotlight, recognized for his outstanding contributions to the world of music. From the infectious beats of “Lockdown” to the soulful sounds of Silk Sonic’s “Leave The Door Open,” .Paak has left an indelible mark on the industry, garnering accolades, including a spot on President Obama’s coveted “Favorite Music” list.

The evening is not just about the music; it’s about the partnerships that fuel the fire of creativity. WME and VANS, two powerhouses in their respective industries, will be celebrated for their commitment to advancing education, promoting literacy, and empowering young voices. These titans of entertainment and fashion are being honored for positively impacting communities.

At the heart of the evening is Get Lit – Words Ignite, a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit founded by author and educator Diane Luby Lane in 2006. Get Lit’s mission is to increase literacy, mobilize youth, and energize communities through the transformative power of poetry and visual media. From in-school programs to career training, Get Lit is igniting change, providing opportunities for under-resourced young people to create, learn, and raise their authentic voices.

Original Article by Sari Cohen.

Get Lit was awarded as the 2023 Los Angeles Outstanding Nonprofit Organization and, we celebrated at the highly anticipated National Philanthropy Day LA Celebration! This year’s event was a delightful affair, filled with inspiration, networking opportunities, and a lineup of remarkable honorees dedicated to making a difference and impacting the world through philanthropy. The evening was full of empowerment and philanthropic excellence as the AFT Greater Los Angeles Chapter honors the best and brightest in the world of giving in LA, including Get Lit! Attendees enjoyed a motivating and inspiring program, roaming dinner reception, cocktails and dessert, and entertainment from some of LA’s best Arts organizations and talent, including our very own Get Lit Players! We’re very honored to have received this award and been a part of this special evening.

Three years ahead of the state mandate, all incoming high school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District will have to complete an Ethnic Studies course in order to graduate beginning this academic year. 1 of the 11 approved LAUSD Ethnic Studies courses is Get Lit’s Voices in Verse curriculum. 

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Since the LAUSD board passed the “Ethnic Studies for All Students Resolution” in 2020, enrollment in Ethnic Studies courses across Los Angeles Unified has soared by 300%, from roughly 8,000 students to more than 25,000 students, according to a presentation at Thursday’s meeting.

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Currently, 170 LAUSD schools offer at least one of 11 district-approved Ethnic Studies courses, including: African American Studies, American Indian Studies, Mexican American Studies, and one of Get Lit’s courses: Voices in Verse: Poetry, Identity, and Ethnic Studies. 

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“I feel represented in that class. It’s very nice, for a change, to be able to talk about issues that I actually care about … without having to take an extracurricular,” said a high school student who identifies as both Black and Latino in a video presented to the committee.

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The student added: “If you’re Black or brown … it does wonders for you. You get to learn about yourself, you get to learn about not only where your oppression comes from but how people have actively combated this oppression.”

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We’re so excited and grateful that Voices in Verse was selected to lead this exciting new wave of education!

This year’s Poetic Convergence may have been our favorite one ever! Thank you again to everyone who made this event possible: the incredible guest speakers, the staff who helped the event run smoothly, and of course those who attended with open minds which created the atmosphere necessary for everyone’s voice to be amplified and creativity to thrive! 

After breakfast, students and teachers gathered to listen to a panel featuring scholars and poets F. Douglas Brown, Mike Sonksen, Luis Rodriguez, and Dr. Amarah Salomón, in which they discussed Ethnic Studies and the Arts and answered audience questions. Following that, students and teachers dispersed to attend different panels about the Get Lit model for poetry before going to lunch where poet Sam Sax delivered their Keynote speech titled “a form in all things: some notes on notes on organic form” which addresses the way poets borrow, mirror, destroy the shapes and constraints of their poems from the various forms they encounter in the world.

Following Sam Sax’s keynote, students and teachers had their pick of workshops: one with poet Sam Sax, one with poet Toaster, and one with poet Angélica Maria. To finish off the day, Get Lit staff member Austin brought students from his freestyle workshop onstage and students listened to Get Lit Players and guest poets perform the Get Lit Classic and Response model.  The poets in attendance have poems that students were able to claim through the Get Lit Anthology and respond to with their own original words. All in all it was a beautiful day filled with creativity and community and it wouldn’t have been possible without all of you!

Last Friday was the second event of our Prose Bowl series in partnership with LAist! It featured performances from Get Lit Players including Emi Sakamoto, Ashley Tahay, Marlee Porter, and Heidi Lopez and Teaching Artists and friends of Get Lit Cassidy, Courtnay, Tiffany, Darius, and Gordon, as well as a set from special guest Toaster! There were also food trucks and a DJ set in the parking lot so everyone could come together and socialize before and after the poetry showcase. 

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If you missed our second Prose Bowl, be sure to mark your calendar for Friday, November 17th! This night of Spoken Word will again feature performances from the Get Lit Poets and a new special guest: Phil K.! The show kicks off at 7 pm, but we recommend you come at 6 for drinks, music, snacks, and community fun. Make sure to register today to reserve your spot!

Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American VOD rights to Our Words Collide, a poetry-themed documentary executive produced by Rosario Dawson, will be released in early 2024. 

The film highlights the poets of Get Lit, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, which uses the art form to educate and empower young people. Juxtaposing vérité scenes and intimate footage, self-shot by the poets, with stylized poetry performances and animation, it more specifically spotlights five spoken word poets as they navigate their final year at high school, exploring many challenges that face young people today — including identity, expression, transitioning into adulthood and overcoming mental health issues — through the unique prism of their poetry. 

Originally premiering at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where it won the ADL Stand Up Award, Our Words Collide’s other EPs are Diane Luby Lane and Samuel Curtis. The teen Spoken-Word poets spotlighted are Tyris Winter, Cassady Lopez, Jason Alvarez, Virginia Villalta, and Amari Turner.

“From the first time I watched the film Our Worlds Collide I knew I wanted to be a part of this project,” said executive producer Dawson in a statement to Deadline. “It was so powerful seeing the journey unfold for these five exceptional poets knowing the challenges that so many young people are facing today with mental health, identity, and expression, and finding their place in the world.”

Watch the official trailer here.

The ongoing partnership between Fox and Get Lit for the new Fox #TVForAll campaign continues this September: Fox will debut an original poem “Community Quilt” in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. “Community Quilt,” which was written and performed by 19 year-old Get Lit Player Jasmine Minchez, will be shared across local FOX stations and FOX digital all month long. Click here to watch and share the performance! 

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months as FOX and Get Lit showcase a new poem to celebrate each month of 2023!

Get Lit was just honored with the Library of Congress Literacy Award for our implementation of successful practices in literacy promotion through the Uni(verse) platform!

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The Library of Congress Literacy Award Program recognizes organizations in the United States and abroad that provide exemplary, innovative, sustainable and replicable strategies to promote literacy and reading. It was established by the Library of Congress in 2013 and is generously supported by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein.

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On September 8, 2023, International Literacy Day, the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program awarded three organizations for their outstanding contribution to expanding literacy and promoting reading. The Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program recognized 15 additional organizations -- including Get Lit! -- for their implementation of successful practices in literacy promotion.

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To celebrate this year’s winners and honorees, the Library of Congress will host an in-person celebration at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Additional information on the awards and previous winners, as well as an interactive program map, are available here.

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2023 marks the eleventh year that the Library of Congress Literacy Awards Program has recognized organizations for their outstanding achievements in advancing literacy. The United Nations General Assembly designates a number of "international days" to mark important aspects of human life and history, including International Literacy Day on September 8th. For more information on International Literacy Day, visit this link.

Samuel Curtis, Director of Creative Media, and Get Lit student Yoko April Tamada discuss the origins of the program, the relationship between poetry and screenwriting, how Get Lit came to be featured on FX's Better Things and more on the Write On podcast! You can listen and subscribe on iTunes.

Like most teenagers, Diane Luby Lane felt disconnected while learning and reading poetry at school. 

It wasn’t until she was 20 years old, watching actress Viveca Lindfors perform a poem by Walt Whitman that her view on poetry transformed, ultimately changing her life and eventually, the lives of 50,000 youth per year through her organization, Get Lit — Words Ignite.

“So often in schools, poetry is being asked, ‘what does this mean?’ rather than exploring your feelings,” Luby Lane said.

“When I worked with Viveca, I could see all that poetry could be.”

What she learned from her experience so many years ago — her “aha! moment” — became the program, which she founded in 2006. Get Lit — Words Ignite uses poetry to help young people explore their voices; establishing a community and safe place to express, feel and connect with one another.

The unique poetry-based curriculum has expanded to more than 100 schools since its inception, with requests coming from as far as Mexico and New Zealand.

Read the full article here on Final Draft’s website!

Last night on Spectrum News, they showcased a conversation with former Get Lit Player and current United States National Youth Poet Laureate, Salome Agbaroji. In the interview, they discussed the inspiration behind her powerful poetry and her experience as the new Youth Poet Laureate Get Lit Founder and CEO, Diane Luby Lane, also appeared and discussed the work and revolutionary model of Get Lit’s programming, which Salome attributes much of her success to. 

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“What I use poetry for now is more of a specific agenda of uplifting communities, but when I first fell in love with words it was purely for fun. That’s what I encourage other people to find. Using words can not only be empowering, but an enjoyable experience.” - Salome 

Watch the full video on our YouTube.

We’d be nowhere without our incredible teaching artists, who provide mentorship to students during workshops and Residencies for schools (both in person and on Zoom!) and guide teachers as they coach Classic Slam teams. The amazing TAs run one-time workshops to share the Get Lit model in Creative Writing, English, or history classes, but they also teach long-term residencies for public, private, and charter schools all over the city. They work our free programs like the Drop-in class, Mixtape Masterclass, and film programs on top of hosting Blitzes, open mic nights, and of course our Classic Slam! And all of this, while being talented professional poets and artists in their own right. We are so inspired by their dedication and hard work! 

At the event, our teaching artists as well as some of our staff gathered over some snacks to catch up before the performances. Our teaching artists each performed the Get Lit “Classic and Response” model, with an unplanned performance by Get Lit Player Marlee Porter! Huge shoutout to our teaching artists and educators Austin Antoine, Jason Benefield, Mason Granger, Dharma Lemon, Jasmine Minchez, Andrea Torres, Laurie Kurnick, Erica Almond, Angela Oliver, Tiffany Snow, Alex Alpharoah, Raul Herrera Jr., and Celia Douglas.

On Sunday, the members of Get Lit’s Mixtape Masterclass graduated from the one year music production program. After a full year of professional training from specialists and industry experts, students learned to produce and market their own music, efficiently navigate music producing software, and understand the fundamentals of DJing. They even had opportunities to perform their own music! 

Family and friends gathered in celebration of their hard work at the Get Lit office to hear song and rap performances from Casey Menke, Robert Shelton, Carlos Bravo, James Walker-Ziegler, and Kyland Talbott and enjoyed some pizza and conversation after. 

Be sure to watch out for an updated post with the link to the mixtape they created which will be out on Spotify by August 18th! 

Want to be part of the action? Our Mixtape Masterclass program is for youth, ages 13-21, who are interested in building their musical talent and knowledge. Mixtape Masterclass meets every Sunday, 2-5 pm. Auditions for this year are on September 11th! To audition, please visit bit.ly/GLMixtapeMasterclass2022 or reach out to Raul@getlit.org for more info.

Dear Get Lit Family,

As we gather the impact data from the 2022-2023 fiscal year, I want to take some time to reflect on the incredible work that was made possible by supporters like you. 

From the start of our fiscal year in July 2022, Get Lit has taken on huge initiatives to build engaging curriculum and classroom materials that offer support to teachers across the globe. Over the summer, our team of young creators worked tirelessly to create over 100 custom-made videos to supplement the Get Lit curriculum.  These videos, funded in part by a generous grant from the State of California Library Foundation, launched alongside our online platform Uni(verse) in classrooms throughout California.

For the first time, Get Lit’s courses were taught internationally at CTL Academy in Nigeria, bringing the healing work of the Get Lit Model to a global stage. With the addition of CTL Academy, Get Lit has now been taught in over 140 schools across 10 different counties in California and more nationwide. All in all, teachers facilitated over 7,500 hours of Get Lit instruction over the course of the year.

Most importantly, Get Lit gave over 13,000 students a new way to connect to themselves, their communities, and their own creative spirit.

This year, we provided over 300 hours of youth programming, from weekly drop-in instruction to our music and film classes. Youth artists in these after-school programs are provided with training and job experience that takes them from classroom to career, with special emphasis on the valuable 21st Century skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity, which often lead to paid opportunities before students graduate, so youth can “earn while they learn.”

100% of our graduating Get Lit Players will be attending college in the fall (compared to 70% of Los Angeles County graduating seniors) and attending CSUN Northridge, Los Angeles College of Music, Yale, Columbia, UC Berkeley, Pierce College, and Harvard.  Two Get Lit Players were even awarded the prestigious titles of Youth Poet Laureate: Sierra Leone Anderson, Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles; and Salome Agbaroji, Youth Poet Laureate of the United States.  

In the words of Jasmine Minchez, one of our Get Lit Players: “Accessibility is a big barrier between who gets to have arts education and who doesn’t. Get Lit has opened an avenue for me. [Working as an artist] can seem distant when you don’t know how to get there. Get Lit has allowed me to get my foot in the water.”

None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our community. With your help, we plan to push forward with the vital work we do in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, boosting self-confidence and mental health, opening avenues for literacy education, and championing the voices of educators and students.  Thanks to your support, Get Lit will be able to continue to scale our vibrant community, providing valuable work experience and real world training to young people to help them build and thrive in a more equitable future.

From the bottom of my heart: thank you.

Diane Luby Lane

Founder and CEO of Get Lit

The onset of the pandemic brought immense awareness to the mental health struggles of teens across the country. In Los Angeles, 51% of students expressed concern over their own mental health or the mental health of others. In 2022, 64.5% of youth with major depression remained untreated, while 10.6% of teens planned a suicide attempt. In the midst of these alarming statistics, health experts struggle to respond to the mental health crisis among adolescents. Fortunately, youth in Los Angeles found a unique outlet for positive social connection. Get Lit-Words Ignite uses poetry to inspire youth to connect to their peers and the world around them. We increasingly shift our programs to target the issues that modern youth face, especially in light of the pandemic and residual effects of social media. 

The use of Spoken Word poetry in the classroom has been gaining momentum for a number of years. A professor at Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom, Lucy English, introduced spoken word into her Creative Writing curriculum in 2005. She reports that Spoken Word poetry assists in relieving stress and increasing confidence as students work through mental health issues like anxiety. At Get Lit, we’ve found analogous results through our programs and curriculum. Most importantly, students describe the realization that they are not alone and that others are going through similar emotions and experiences. Science confirms these results. In the Philippines, researchers tested the effects of visual arts and poetry on adolescents who experienced abuse. The study found poetry was effective in decreasing depression, and to a lesser extent, post-traumatic stress disorder. Similarly, another study from China, completed in 2022, found that an intervention on poetry appreciation on college and university campuses resulted in increased emotional stability and decreased apprehension and tension. 

To bring light to poetry’s connection with mental health, we used a grant from the California Mental Health Services Authority and partnered with William Morris Endeavor to develop a symposium that premiered on May 23. The event featured a 30 minute segment of a documentary about teenagers in the Get Lit program, as well as live poetry performances from youth poets Sam Luo and Amari Turner. The coming-of-age documentary Our Words Collide by directors Jordan Barrow and Matt Edwards, follows the lives of five teenagers through their senior year of high school as they experience the onset of the pandemic. Through Spoken Word, the teens express their feelings on mental health and its impact on their daily lives. The symposium acknowledged the importance of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, which offers a time to reflect, discuss, and connect. Following the documentary feature and youth poet performances, mental health activist Héctor Tobar brought the community together with a discussion on mental health. 

Positive and strong relationships contribute significantly to the growth of youth. Given the lack of access to mental health services and the widespread, and increasing nature of mental health issues among Los Angeles based teens, organizations such as Get Lit offer an alternative way to increase societal connection through the power of Spoken Word. Storytelling through poetry can assist in overcoming a range of issues that the youth poems discuss such as isolation, anxiety, and depression. Researchers have found that poetry normalizes the conversation around mental health, and encourages youth to discuss their issues with the world. As Get Lit- Words Ignite expands into programs for film and music, we hope to continue finding outlets of creativity to combat mental health issues.

Past Forward, an organization dedicated to educational accessibility whose public podcast service provides guidance and tools to support lifelong learning, recently hosted Get Lit Deputy Director Mason Granger for an interview with their Chapters series. Chapters is a multi-part series which currently seeks to amplify the voices of organizations and individuals who are trying to make a difference, who are standing at the convergence of art, education, and social justice. 

In this episode, Mason talks about his personal journey with poetry and how Get Lit is bringing that life-changing practice to youth around the world. Mason shares how he first was introduced to the art of Spoken Word and Slam Poetry. The performance knocked him off his foundation and spoke in a voice that was as clear to him as a long lost language he had always been fluent in. He discusses how poetry and art in general enhances education curriculum to hit students at a human level, encouraging a search for purpose and connection to all who have humaned before.

“That's, I guess, the crux of Get Lit. Showing kids, “Hey, maybe this is your voice, whether you go on to be a poet and like this, you just discovered your life thing, or this is something that you did once and you had the experience of really interrogating and crafting something. Wherever you are, like you're better for that experience.””

‍You can listen to the podcast here or on your usual podcast platform!

“Since 2019, the Academy of American Poets has joined forces with Amazon Literary Partnership to support the tireless work of poetry presses and organizations across the nation. The seventeen recipients of the 2023 Poetry Fund speak to the power poetry has at the grassroots level,” said Ricardo Maldonado, President and Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets. “We’re extremely grateful for the contributions they continue to make in our communities by fostering direct engagement between poetry and its readers, asking us to commit ourselves to more compassionate and engaged futures.”

“It’s an honor to fund these vital institutions that support poets in all aspects of their careers,” said Al Woodworth, Manager of Amazon Literary Partnership. “At Amazon, we believe in the power of the written word to expand our thinking, advance our empathy, and change our world. We are grateful for the incredible work that these organizations do to champion poets and their work, today and every day.”

Guided by the mission of having a lasting impact on the literary community, Amazon Literary Partnership’s annual grants have supported more than 160 literary organizations with $16 million in grant funding since 2009, helping many thousands of writers tell their stories and find their readers. Grant recipients include literary centers, writing workshops, residencies, fellowships, literary magazines, independent publishers, and poetry and translation programs. Writers supported by some of these organizations have gone on to become best-selling and award-winning authors and poets.

Take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the making of our brand-new curriculum videos made possible through the generous support of the NBA Foundation!

These videos, which act as peer to peer learning in classrooms, allow students a chance to see themselves represented. We’re so excited to add them to our roster of classroom resources that help teachers engage their students through poetry. There are also corresponding videos for educators that guide teachers through the learning process simultaneously. Plus, each of these videos will be available to every single teacher that uses our Words Ignite curriculum – for free!

Written, filmed, shot, and starring youth artists, these custom videos will become available in 2024! Big thanks to our educators and teaching artists on camera: Laurie Kurnick, Mason Granger, Raul Herrera, Tiffany Snow, and Aman Batra. Plus, special thanks to Mila Cuda, Curriculum Assistant, former Get Lit Poet, and the writer of the incredible scripts. And, of course a huge shoutout to the student poets and stars of the show: Tiffany To, Pluto Saidkariev, and Ollie Mitchell! None of this would be possible without those behind the scenes who assisted in creating a fun environment for shooting: Director Sam Curtis, Media Manager Peter Davis, Production Manager Sofia D’Annunzio, Camera Operator Lukas Lane, Teleprompter and Editor Joseluis Mendoz, and Script Supervisors Shelby Eroen and Ella Zomber!

The Get Lit Film Program is proud to honor the memory and spirit of Paul Eckstein, writer and producer for TV and movies, and a dear friend and supporter of Get Lit. The newly created Paul Eckstein Scholarship Fund will turn donations made in Paul’s name into scholarships and opportunities for young writers. 

When Paul was not creating shows like Godfather of Harlem, he could be found mentoring the next generation of diverse storytellers. Paul believed fiercely in the mission of Get Lit and the power of poetic voices in screenwriting, and the Get Lit Film Program is honored to continue his legacy of mentorship for young artists. 

Thanks to the generous donations of friends, family, and loved ones that have been made in memory of Paul, Get Lit is able to provide young writers with scholarships to the Get Lit Poetic Screenwriters Lab. This yearlong writers’ workshop series will give students the opportunity to  develop feature films, short stories, podcasts and web series, and episodic TV pilot scripts.

After a robust audition process, we’re so excited to announce our 16 new and returning Get Lit Players: Marlee Porter, Heidi Lopez, Emi Sakamoto, Naomi Farkas, Jonathan Smith, Jada Leung, Kaya Sparnicht, Jasmine Minchez, Ella Small, Gabby Wong, Maxine Moriwaki, Abby G., Pluto Saidkariev, Lila Abercrombie, Olivia Le, and Bri Macklin! 

The Get Lit Players (GLPs) are our award-winning performance troupe of youth poets. They’ve performed at the United Nations, Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center and White House — to name a few! Every year they perform live for over 50,000 of their peers, and their videos have been watched online over 300 million times.

Each of our Get Lit Players will spend the next year honing their skills and enjoying exciting and unique workshops, paid performance and networking opportunities, and a lifetime of support from Get Lit’s community. And these experiences open doors – 100% of our GLPs go to colleges, and over 80% receive scholarships.

This new cohort of Get Lit Players represents the best of Los Angeles’ young artistic energy. We’re so excited to watch them grow and create over the next year!

Congratulations to former Get Lit Player Sierra Leone Anderson, awarded by the YPL selection committee the title of Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles!

Sierra Leone joined our program after taking a Get Lit class at GALA Middle School with Ms. Knopfler and discovering her love for Spoken Word poetry. After years of participating in the Classic Slam, Sierra Leone became a Get Lit Player in 2021 and has been lighting up stage and screen with her poetry ever since. Her writing, which explores the multitudes of American identity, Black life, and teenage girlhood, has been featured on USA Today, Archewell Foundation, and the Kelly Clarkson Show–to name a few!

We’re so proud of Sierra Leone and her amazing accomplishment!

Here's a few highlights from Get Lit Founder and CEO Diane Luby Lane's interview with news outlet The Knockturnal!

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The Knockturnal: What was the vision behind the Get Lit non-profit?

Diane Luby Lane: I started Get Lit in 2006 because I wanted to bring poetry to kids in schools.

When I lived in New York City I met an actress named Viveca Lindfors who turned my theater company into a place for poetry. She had us memorize an hour’s worth of material (I knew nothing about poetry, so I had to quickly self-educate myself) – that we would then perform guerrilla-poetry style in the street, in bars, the steps of museums. The only requirement was that they had to be dramatic poems that were easy to understand. For me, this became life-changing.

Four years later I lived in San Francisco and met a man named James Kass, who is now the founder of Youth Speaks. He was just starting this organization (Youth Speaks) which focused on young people performing their own poems – “spoken word” – and watching them blew my mind. Within a few months, I was volunteering as the head of their drama department, and I loved it.

I had written a book of original monologues for women that was published by Samuel French, so I already loved writing and short-form storytelling. But I wasn’t familiar with “spoken word” until I started working with Youth Speaks.

Eventually, I pulled all of it together and started Get Lit.

In 2001 I moved to Los Angeles and I introduced the Get Lit curriculum to students in schools, not knowing if they would like it, but the positive response was overwhelming, and I have never looked back.  

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The Knockturnal: Can you tell us about the event that happened on Tuesday and why Get Lit put it together?

Diane Luby Lane: Mental health has always been an area that has been important to me.   The Get Lit curriculum allows students to learn ways to express what they are feeling, or going through, but more importantly, know they are not alone, and feel supported.  

Earlier this year, we received a significant grant from CalMHSA to help bring attention to and continue awareness around mental health. This allowed us to give our young poets another opportunity to be heard, and to continue the very important discussion of mental health.  So we partnered with Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) and created a symposium to talk about mental health.  The event included a discussion with “Our Words Collide” director Jordan Barrow, two youth poets, Sam Luo and Amari Turner, and was led by author and mental health activist, Héctor Tobar.  The evening included a 30-minute look at the film “Our Words Collide” and concluded with live performances from three of Get Lit’s youth poets Lila Abercrombie, Jessica Thompson, and Ashley Tahay.

We are incredibly grateful to CalMHSA for letting us get the message of spoken word and mental health out into the world.

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The Knockturnal: Why do you think it is important to continue discussing Mental Health?

Diane Luby Lane: This work for young people is absolutely critical. Below are some alarming statistics illuminating this point. In his new book, Together, Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek H. Murthy, MD states that we need community if we are to survive it.

“In The Atlantic’s “What Happened to American Childhood,” Kate Julian says “from 2007 to 2017, suicides among 10-to-24-year-olds rose 56 percent … “Suicides between ages 5 to 11 have almost doubled.” Writer Daniel Thompson in “Why American Teens Are So Sad” writes, “Almost every measure of mental health is getting worse… Since 2009, teen sadness and hopelessness have increased for every race; for straight and gay teens; for students in each year of high school; and in all 50 states.”

Young people are really struggling with mental health right now and creating outlets for feelings, and community through art is an essential healing tool. It absolutely saves lives. And even better – it makes lives! Through this deep work, people are forever changed, becoming not only survivors but thrivers.

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Read the full interview here: https://theknockturnal.com/nonprofit-get-lit-hosts-documentary-screening-and-mental-health-discussion-panel/

Read all about our special event with Take Action LA and The LA County Department of Mental Health at the William Morris Endeavor screening room in Beverly Hills, covered by Nerds of Color.

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Attendees and participants from the Classic Slam and Get Lit community were invited to discuss their experiences with mental health through the lens of poetry.  Attendees also had the chance to watch a special cut of the movie Our Words Collide, which highlighted the healing affect of poetry on mental health.

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The event also included a panel discussion, moderated by acclaimed novelist Héctor Tobar, with Our Words Collide director Jordan Barrow, Our Words Collide subject and former Get Lit Player Amari Turner, and current Get Lit Player Sam Luo.  Together, the group discussed their thoughts on the movie, Spoken Word, and how poetry can turn pain into power.  After the panel, three Classic Slam participants (Lila Abercrombie, Jessica Thompson, and Ashley Tahay) performed their poems from the Classic Slam about mental health as a dazzling finale.

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Read the full article all about the event from Nerds of Color journalist Elijah Isaiah Johnson here.

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Words Heal

Mental Health Awareness Month

We've been working hard to spread the word about mental health and the healing power of Spoken Word poetry through a partnership with Take Action LA and The LA County Department of Mental Health.

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Watch real students take charge of their mental health.

Through our partnership with Take Action LA and The LA County Department of Mental Health, we created this special playlist (with more coming soon!) highlighting the power of poetry and expression of young Angelenos at the Classic Slam. The inspiring way they embrace their experiences and claim their stories truly uplifts our whole community!

Classic Slam x Mental Health Panel

This month, we held a special event with Take Action LA and The LA County Department of Mental Health at the William Morris Endeavor screening room in Beverly Hills. Attendees and participants from the Classic Slam and Get Lit community were invited to discuss their experiences with mental health through the lens of poetry.  Attendees also had the chance to watch a special cut of the movie Our Words Collide, which highlighted the healing affect of poetry on mental health.

The event also included a panel discussion, moderated by acclaimed novelist Héctor Tobar, with Our Words Collide director Jordan Barrow, Our Words Collide subject and former Get Lit Player Amari Turner, and current Get Lit Player Sam Luo.  Together, the group discussed their thoughts on the movie, Spoken Word, and how poetry can turn pain into power.  After the panel, three Classic Slam participants (Lila Abercrombie, Jessica Thompson, and Ashley Tahay) performed their poems from the Classic Slam about mental health as a dazzling finale.

Here’s a full write-up of the event by news outlet Nerds of Color!

Salome Agbaroji

Get Lit Player, Incoming Freshman at Harvard, and the new United States Youth Poet Laureate!

The title once held by Amanda Gorman has just been passed to our own Salome Agbaroji. A part of the Get Lit community since the Covid-19 lockdown, Salome has been a joy to watch grow as an artist and human while performing at venues like the Mayor's Fund, the HFPA Philanthropy Gala, and as a Vans shoes ambassador.

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"I have found a home at Get Lit. It is more than a poetry organization. It's a center for youth professional development. It's a safe haven to explore identity and self-acceptance. It's a family. As I embark on the next chapter of my life, graduating high school to explore college and beyond, the continued support from Get Lit staff and partners empowers me through every step I take. Although I do not know what the future looks like, this community makes my dark path a little more...LIT."
- Salome Agbaroji, 2023 Youth Poet Laureate of the United States

Beyond Los Angeles

The Santa Barbara County Education Office joined the Get Lit wave this month by hosting their very own Classic Slam! After going through the Get Lit program in their classrooms, students from across the county gathered together to share their powerful Spoken Word poetry and claim their stories as a community.

Read the article

Oh, the places they’ll go!

Congratulations to the graduating Get Lit Players and Mixtape Masterclass artists, who are off to college in the Fall!

• Ashley Tahay, from Cleveland High School to CSUN Northridge
• Carlos Bravo, from South Pasadena High School to Los Angeles College Of Music
• Elora Sparnicht, from OCSA to Yale University
• Fernanda Herrera, from Harvard Westlake to Columbia University
• Libby Oren, from Venice High School and Santa Monica City College to UC Berkeley
• Robert Sheldon, from Cleveland High School to Pierce College
• Salome Agbaroji, from Gahr High School to Harvard University
• Sam Luo, from Alhambra High School to UC Berkeley

It’s Residency Graduation season!

As the school year closes, so do the Get Lit Residencies, where our incredible Teaching Artists coach a classroom through the Get Lit Model as students write and perform their own Spoken Word poetry. Now that students have claimed, crafted, and practiced their poems, our Residencies are each closing off with their own exciting graduation showcase!

Thank you to all the amazing schools who hosted a Residency with a Get Lit Teaching Artist this year!

And many thanks to all of the teachers who teach the Get Lit curriculum in their schools!

And a HUGE shout-out to our teaching artists and education staff who inspire students EVERY DAY to express themselves, to share their words, and to learn the world. They are relentless, skilled, and incredible.

Books for Pride

With all of the news going around about banned books in America, from Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb to the ALA’s full list of the top banned books in America, it’s more important than ever to read works that center the experiences and stories of marginalized groups.

It’s no coincidence that many of the most frequently banned books feature LGBTQ+ stories. For Pride month, we’re asking you to take a stand by reading, discussing, and celebrating queer literature. Here’s a few places to start:

Memoir:

Gender Queer: A Memoir

by Maia Kobabe

Poetry:

Punks

by John Keene

Fiction:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

by Malinda Lo

Summer School

English and Elective credits to ignite Summer learning

If you or someone you know needs high school recovery credits or are looking to get ahead, Get Lit’s UC-approved, standard-aligned Summer School classes start July 5th – and you can enroll up until July 4th.

These UC-approved courses are free for students who live in Los Angeles, Ventura, Kern, San Bernardino and Orange County (excluding those enrolled in LAUSD) and $750 for everyone else.

Sign up today

Our very own Teaching Artist Alex Alpharoah is a new dad! (Sounds like it’s time for us to stock up on POET onesies for Father’s Day.

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We’re so thrilled to have a brand-new member of the Get Lit family!

And congratulations to Teaching Artist Tiffany Snow, absolutely stealing the show in a brand new GEICO Commercial alongside stars Will Arnett and… Martin the Gecko?

continuum

con.tin.u.um

(noun) a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct.

“Put enough dichotomies together and you get a continuum”

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The ongoing partnership between FOX and Get Lit for the new FOX #TVForAll campaign has continued as Ronen Rubinstein (9-1-1: Lone Star) joins 19-year-old poet Libby Oren in delivering an inspirational reading of her poem "No One Else" to celebrate Pride Month 2023. Check out the full video here!

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months as FOX and Get Lit showcase a new poem to celebrate each month of 2023!

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So grateful for this feature on Spectrum News’ What’s Good all about the power of youth poetry, as witnessed at the Classic Slam 2023!

Watch the full segment below:

In collaboration with FOX TV, Get Lit and FOX are continuing the #TVFORALL campaign to create and share impactful videos that highlight, champion and celebrate diverse voices across FOX Entertainment.

This month's poem honoring AANHPI Heritage Month, 'AGAINST ALL ODDS" by Sam Luo, is narrated alongside Élodie Yung, Star of The Cleaning Lady on FOX TV.

Watch the video here!

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And see the other videos in the series:‍

https://brief.promax.org/article/fox-looks-to-black-future-with-poet-monique-mitchell

https://brief.promax.org/index.php/article/fox-get-lit-share-a-chorus-of-women

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The ongoing partnership between FOX and Get Lit for the new FOX #TVForAll campaign has continued with the release of the original poem “A Chorus of Women,” across FOX platforms in honor of Women’s History Month. The poem is written by high-school sophomore and Get Lit Player Olivia Le who also performs it along with 9-1-1: Lone Star star Gina Torres. Check out the full video here!

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months as FOX and Get Lit showcase a new poem to celebrate each month of 2022!

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See the first video in the series:

https://brief.promax.org/article/fox-looks-to-black-future-with-poet-monique-mitchell

And read the press release here:

https://brief.promax.org/index.php/article/fox-get-lit-share-a-chorus-of-women

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AND THE NEW UNITED STATES YOUTH POET LAUREATE IS... SALOME AGBAROJI!

Salome began with Spoken Word poetry in 2020 through the Why I Rise competition, and it has been a joy and an honor to support her in her journey from Get Lit Player to performing for the likes of the Golden Globes, the Los Angeles Rams, the Mayor’s office, Vans, and now– the newest National Youth Poet Laureate!!

Congrats as well to all the amazing NYPL finalists whose voices were heard on the NYPL Finals stage in Maui. And a special congratulations to Get Lit Players Olivia Le and Sierra Leone Anderson, who were awarded as runners-up for the California Youth Poet Laureate title!

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Here is Salome at the 2023 Classic Slam performing one of the poems she submitted for the National Youth Poet Laureate competition!

THE BUZZ

Watch the red carpet interviews of celebrity judges like Malcolm-Jamal Warner, a few clips of star poems, and more in this segment by news outlet THE BUZZ!

Nerds of Color

Nerds of Color reporter Elijah Isaiah Johnson wrote about his experience attending the Classic Slam:

“There’s something pure about returning to the basics — the organic material — of spoken word. If the Golden Age of poetry began with Poe, Emerson, and Whitman, then the Renaissance begins here.”

Check out the full Nerds of Color article here!

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Fresh new experience, classic Get Lit vibes.

And that’s a wrap! Thousands of students attended the 12th annual Classic Slam over the course of a few days last week. We experienced poems of deep emotion, from the quarterfinals at LATC to the finals at the Ace Theater; we witnessed exhilarating moments of connection between students from competing teams in our rock-paper-scissors tournament; and most importantly, we felt our community come together to celebrate each other in a big way. Thanks to the pandemic, many of the attending students hadn't been on a field trip since elementary school!

Thank you to everyone: judges, attendees, donors, the students who poured out their souls on the stage, and the coaches who guided them through the process. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU for your year-round support of the work at Get Lit, which culminates in this one magical week. We are truly grateful.

See the photo gallery here!

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CONGRATULATIONS!

But as we say — the point isn’t the points, it’s the practice! We couldn’t be more proud of every person who stepped onstage. Congratulations to the spectacular poets who gave their all on the quarterfinals stage, and to our final four teams: GALA (coached by Rachel Knopfler), Harvard-Westlake (coached by Eric Olson and Sara Cohen), Cleveland, and Mark Keppel.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR JUDGES

Malcolm-Jamal Warner: Emmy-Nominated Actor

Lee Herrick: California Poet Laureate

Luis Rodriguez: Former Los Angeles Poet Laureate

Mila Cuda: Former West Coast Youth Poet Laureate, Harvard-Westlake Alumni, and TikTok Superstar!

Grace Weber: GRAMMY-Winning Singer-Songwriter and Producer

Salome Agbaroji: West Coast Youth Poet Laureate

And our fabulous host, Ashley August!

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The Classic Slam film and production crew had a massive success this year, capturing the incredible poetry of the competition and creating media that will be enjoyed digitally by millions of people in the coming months. Throughout the weekend, the Media Team employed 14 young filmmakers from Poetic Filmmakers Lab (our in-house filmmaking program), Ghetto Film School, UCLA Film School, and USC Film School!

At our wrap meeting, one filmmaker said: “This is one the best film sets I’ve ever been on and gives me hope for humanity.” We agree! It was so special to see this filmmaking community inspiring one another in front of the camera and behind.

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Check out the press on the Classic Slam!

Nerds of Color

Nerds of Color reporter Elijah Isaiah Johnson wrote about his experience attending the Classic Slam:

“there’s something pure about returning to the basics — the organic material — of spoken word. If the Golden Age of poetry began with Poe, Emerson, and Whitman, then the Renaissance begins here.”

Check out the full Nerds of Color article here!

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THE BUZZ

Watch the red carpet interviews of celebrity judges like Malcom-Jamal Warner, a few clips of star poems, and more in this segment by news outlet THE BUZZ!

& stay tuned for a special segment in Spectrum News later this month! 👀

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Of course, special thanks to our sponsors: Vans and William Morris Endeavor!

And to those who donated to sponsor a student, giving hundreds of youth poets the opportunity to attend the Classic Slam: THANK YOU! We couldn't have done this without your support.

Salome Agbaroji—Get Lit Player & Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles— was featured in the February HITS Magazine edition for their Black History Month spotlight. The article features her poem Heartbreak Mixtape.

Salome, the 2022-23 Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles County, says she honed her skills as a participant in Get Lit. As a Get Lit Player, she’s performed at the Golden Globes pre-show and the Ford Theater and she is also a Vans Global Ambassador.

As the West Coast Regional Youth Poet Laureate, Salome will be competing in Hawaii for the National Youth Poet Laureate title in April!

It's finally here! After months of hard work, we're sharing our 2021-2022 Annual Report with the world.

This Annual Report has been called "one of the best looking reports I’ve seen" and "a real wow in many ways"-- but don't take our word for it! Check out the full newsletter release here.

Or just jump straight to the report if you can't wait. ;-)

FOX and Get Lit have recently entered a year-long multicultural collaboration to build the new FOX #TVForAll campaign, which is a space to highlight, champion and celebrate diverse talent and voices.

This February, as a part of #TVFORALL, FOX debuted the first original poem “Black Future” in honor of Black History Month. “Black Future,” which was written by Monique Mitchell, will be shared across local FOX stations and FOX digital all month long. Check out the full video here!

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming months as FOX and Get Lit showcase a new poem to celebrate each month of 2022!

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Read more:

https://brief.promax.org/article/fox-looks-to-black-future-with-poet-monique-mitchell

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Poetry has become a resource of hope. “Countdown to a School Shooting,” a Classic Slam video, has gone viral on our TikTok. Almost 12 million youth have turned their eyes and ears to the power of poetry, and the numbers keep growing.

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Take a look at our TikTok channel here: https://www.tiktok.com/@getlitpoet

The Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles commissioned LA Youth Poet Laureate and Get Lit Player Salome Agbaroji to create an original poem reflecting and celebrating the collective work of the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles during the Garcetti administration.

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Read what the Mayor's Fund has to say here.

From Rebecca Ramirez at Hollywood First Look:

On a cool, wintery night this past Sunday, Dec. 11, Get Lit – Words Ignite celebrated its 12th annual gala on the Grammy Museum’s Rooftop Terrace. The Past The Margin gala honored the multi-talented artist H.E.R. and celebrated the creation of the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album Award that will make its debut at the 2023 Grammy Awards ceremony taking place on Feb. 5.

The Grammy-winning artist was recognized with the Ignite Artist Award. H.E.R. was a former student of the Get Lit program, participating in the first Get Lit Classic Slam in 2012. While receiving her award, she thanked her former teacher and her dad, who were in attendance, as well as Diane Luby Lane, founder and executive director of Get Lit and the Get Lit organization, for providing a platform that, in her words, gave her a different kind of confidence that made her the artist that she is today. Moved by the introduction video they created in her honor, she said, “I look back on my journey, and when I see videos like that and when I remember what was happening during that time, it’s a reminder to me to stay true to myself, to stay authentic, to keep using my voice.”

As for receiving the Ignite Artist award, she said, “I’ve received some awards in the past few years in my career, but I have to say, this one – it might be the most special one to me. And it’s because those full-circle moments are the ones that mean the most to me.”

Shihan Van Clief was another honoree receiving the Ignite Community Award for his contributions to the spoken word art form. He told Hollywood First Look he felt overwhelmed but great to be receiving this recognition. Van Clief co-founded and hosted Da Poetry Lounge in Hollywood, Calif., the longest-running poetry venue in the United States. When asked about the secret to his success, he said, “We are going on our 25th year of running the Da Poetry Lounge, and I feel like what has made it successful and what I recognized kind of after the fact – not when we started it, we started it just to do it – but in hindsight, we realized there are so many people who feel like they have something to say or want to feel connected to something and the lounge provides a place for people to feel connected.” Van Clief also highlighted the important work Get Lit is doing in giving young people a platform to be heard, seen, and recognized for who they are.

Aron Baumel was also an honoree of the night, receiving the Ignite Advisor Award for his contributions as legal counsel, helping Get Lit and its poets over the years. He said it was an honor and a privilege to work with Luby Lane and the Get Lit team and was looking forward to continuing to support the program and its future poets.

The Get Lit Executive Director took the stage early in the event as well. She thanked sponsors and attendees for their support and thanked the honorees of the night. Luby Lane was a member of a group of leaders that promoted the creation of the Grammy’s Best Spoken Word Poetry Album Award, and she emphasized the significance the award will have for poets moving forward. Luby Lane spoke with HFL about the importance of the spoken word as an art form.

“I have devoted my life to spoken word poetry and this art form for 16 years. It’s an incredibly powerful art form, and spoken word – you wouldn’t have Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, you wouldn’t even have these great political leaders – John F. K., without the power of spoken word and the power of being a great orator and creating rhythm and emotion with your words,” she said.

On a night celebrating the spoken word art form, performances were an essential part of the gala. The event opened with a moving performance from Grammy-nominated poet, J. Ivy. During his time on stage, Ivy also spoke about working for six years on getting the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album Award created at the Grammys. Like Luby Lane, Ivy was instrumental in getting the award created, writing the proposal and new definition for it. In the past, spoken word nominees had been put in the same category as storytelling, narration, and audiobooks, but now having their own category has allowed for more poets to be nominated. This year, five poets are up for the newly created award, including Ivy, a first in the history of the Grammy Awards ceremony. By recognizing the spoken word as its own award and category, Ivy hopes this will open more doors to aspiring poets.

“One of my dreams is for those that are coming up to aspire to be poets, so when they get that infamous question ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ they’ll say, ‘I want to be a poet,’ so I’m really excited that this award, this category, will help shine more light on this incredible art form that has changed and saved so many lives,” he told HFL.

Lynne Thompson, Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and Salome Agbaroji, Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, were also in attendance and gave soulful and inspiring performances. Agbaroji, who participated in the Get Lit program, expressed her excitement about performing at the gala, “I always feel very privileged for any event I’m able to do with Get Lit. It’s such a welcoming space, it’s so conducive to creativity, and it’s really a family. So, whenever I get to share a stage and see the fruits of the labor of everyone at Get Lit that works to make sure that youth like me can be creative, freely, and without the barrier of lack of access to certain resources or stages, it’s something I look forward to every time.”

Poets from the Get Lit Players program also performed throughout the event, reciting their spoken word responses to classic poems they claimed, a key aspect of the Get Lit curriculum. Closing out the performances for the night was Grammy-nominated poet Sekou Andrews, who delivered a thunderous and lively performance.

Get Lit- Words Ignite is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit whose mission is to increase literacy, empower youth, and energize communities through poetry and visual media. Proceeds from the silent auction and the gala supported Get Lit’s literacy programs throughout Southern California schools.

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On November 3, Get Lit poets Sam, Jasmine, and Jonathan performed their own original poem about the power of education in front of California school administrators and counselors! This Leadership Summit is a top-tier professional development event for school leaders and a celebration of the entire profession of school administration.

Even better, some of the administrators- who came from across Southern California to attend the conference- were former or current educators of the GLPs who performed!

This year's Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) Banquet featured our own Salome Agbaroji, LA Youth Poet Laureate, for a special performance. Over the last 28 years, the association has donated more than $55 million to organizations related to the entertainment industry as well as to humanitarian causes, has offered more than 2,200 scholarships to film students, and has funded the restoration of 138 films. In tandem with hosts (and HFPA grantees) Film Independent and The Film Collaborative, representatives from more than 60 organizations got together with HFPA members, including President Helen Hoehne, and Grants Officer Sandra Cuneo.

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Salome's performance of her original poem In the Palms of Our Hands was met with a standing ovation from the event's attendees. You can watch her full performance here on the Official Golden Globes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cll0WsYsKit/

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Read below for quotes for more about the event!

“When I moved to Los Angeles to further my career in film education, I thought that every street corner would have resources and film festivals and mentors for young filmmakers. I didn’t find that to be true,” cited Samuel Curtis, Director of Creative Media for Get Lit, a teen literacy group.

But (meeting) the folks who were in the group for pre-professional development … that is what I was always dreaming of. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, over the past five years, has shown us the future of the industry.

Hollywood may have a long way until it reinvents itself as a progressive industry that fully embraces plurality. Yet, in this recent event, when the Film Independent offices turned into a place where various missions, aspirations, and endeavors could cross-pollinate – on that day, diversity was realized.

Even more importantly, the gathering let us take a peek into a future in which competition is replaced by collaboration, isolation by interconnectivity, need by exchange. And, in which rigid hierarchy is mitigated by acceptance and appreciation of differences.

https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/hfpa-grantee-community-gathers-celebration-diversity

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“Poetry is a torch in the darkness, igniting the flame of literacy and reconciliation,” said Samuel Curtis, Director of Creative Media, introducing Get Lit, a nonprofit that looks to the power of the word as a way of social and personal transformation. With the HFPA’s support, the organization has partnered with the Compton School District. “Thanks to the HFPA and our partnership with Get Lit,” said Anisha Nicholson, a school administrator, “our youth are enhancing their public speaking and writing skills as they use poetry to awaken the very best within themselves.”

Get Lit’s Deputy Director Mason Granger proudly introduced Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate Salome Agbaroji. The young poet drew the warmest applause and a standing ovation from those present, who enjoyed not only the words of her fluid and powerful poem In the Palms of Our Hands but also her animated and expressive performance of it.

https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/hfpa-highlights-philanthropy-grants-dinner

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Get Lit & Me on the Official Golden Globes Channels (Featured Alongside FilmAid & the NAACP): https://www.instagram.com/p/CleC10uvZoq/

This month, we serviced over 300 students at three blitz shows in collaboration with UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.

Thank you to UCLA and Griffith STEAM Magnet Middle, Southeast DREAMS Magnet Middle, Chatsworth High, and Hamilton High!

Get Lit Players Sierra Leone Anderson and Jasmine Minchez performed an original poem at the Common Sense Media Awards to honor Mindy Kaling and her work in television, who was also present in the audience– and enthusiastically snapping!

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A recent feature by Arizona PBS features Get Lit teachers, students, and programming.  Reporter Fernanda Martinez dug deep into the program, interviewing Los Angeles teachers and students involved in the curriculum, who shared the power of poetry as a life-changing outlet for them. With literacy statistics falling short in our student’s public schools, stories like this highlight just how important our work in poetry and literacy education is.With literacy statistics falling short in our student’s public schools, stories like this highlight just how important our work in poetry and literacy education is.

This article featured as an "Editor's Choice" on the front page of the Cronkite News website!

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Read a short clip below, or the full article here.

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Poetry never interested Robin Power. As a high school teacher, he taught it, but it wasn’t his thing.

Then came Get Lit-Words Ignite, a program that encourages students to read poetry of their choosing, or write and perform their own individual work. It’s a contrast to having teachers choose poems and read them to the class.

No dead poets here. Get Lit puts the students in charge.

“It’s something so cool,” said Power, who teaches at Larchmont Charter School near downtown LA. “I didn’t have that experience once with poetry until we did the Get Lit program.”

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“What a gift to have something like that come alive and be so meaningful, and then get (students) to think, ‘Oh, well, poetry is a force, you know, a force of expression for change,’” Power said.

For some, it’s a broadening experience.

“I had a lot of stage fright,” said Avery Hipolito, one of Power’s high school students at Larchmont. “And I think Get Lit really helped me come out of my shell and be able to share my words to people.”

Get Lit is designed to help students discover their voice in a supportive environment.

“Honestly, poetry has become my outlet to express myself,” said Sophia Bazini, another of Power’s students. “And it’s also been a way that I’ve been able to make so many connections and friendships, which is really cool.”

Get Lit also aims to increase student literacy. That’s important in a state like California and Arizona, which score lower than many others in reading literacy. In 2019, California and Arizona fourth-graders, for instance, had subpar performance compared to students in the nation overall, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The coronavirus pandemic, which forced many students to suspend attending in-person learning, deepened the problem in California. The Los Angeles Times reported this month that 58% of the students in the Los Angeles Unified District did not meet standards in English.

As a result, Power and other teachers are delighted with Get Lit, which helps keep students engaged, transforming a tedious, book-centric classroom session into one filled with open discourse, smiles and laughter.

“How could they not be more engaged,” Power asked, “if they are writing and performing poetry, seeing their peers perform and compete, going in person to a poetry competition where teenagers are pouring their heart out onstage and writing about real topics and crying?”

Dottie Burkhart, a teacher at Mark Keppel High School in Alhambra, California, also praised the curriculum.

“Students are not only engaged with poetry but engaged with their own stories,” she said.

One prominent poetry professor, reached for comment, expressed hope that it can.

DeSales Harrison, who teaches at Oberlin College, said Get Lit could provide an alternative avenue for opening a young person’s world to poetry. It has the power to surprise and delight students with a newfound relationship with poetry – a “really wacky and wild experience you never could have anticipated yourself,” he said.

He went on to say, “My hope is that at some point in the future, people can discover the pleasure of having the book and have the pleasure of the company of the poet in the way that we enjoy the company of the novelist or the company of the podcast.”

In coordinating green and tan apparel sponsored by Vans, three Get Lit Players had the opportunity to take the stage at the D23 Expo this weekend.

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This was the first D23 Expo since 2019.  Sam Luo, Sophia Bazini and Jonathan Smith wrote and performed a group poem at the Hyperion Theater in Los Angeles. The group of players opened for the expo’s Storyteller’s Spotlight, a panel that demonstrated the diversity of Walt Disney Company as they approach their 100 year anniversary.

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The poets performed their poem, “The Magic of Storytelling,” which highlighted the importance of diversity and representation in films and stories.

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For Bazini, attending and performing at the D23 Expo, the ultimate Disney Fan Fest, was the opportunity of a lifetime.

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“It was such a meaningful experience because I was able to tell my story and portray the real me to others,” said Bazini.

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On top of their dynamic performance, the players also had tons of fun. They participated in workshops where they could act as morning show hosts and savor the moment with a picture. They received tons of cool swag and pins, and got to see hundreds of Disney fans dress up in cool costumes.  

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Following their performance, stars from Black Panther, Michael James Scott (who plays the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway), and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas took the stage.

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“Seeing everyone on stage was so powerful,” said Bazini. “They were able to be successful despite so much against them in this industry. It was amazing.”

In the second of ABC 7's two-part series on Get Lit, reporter Anabel Munoz interviews founder Diane Luby Lane, student poets, teacher Jeanetta Wolfe and poet Luis Rodriguez about the transformative power of poetry and Uni(verse).

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In the article:

"Through the curriculum and its vast anthology, students interact with contemporary and classic poets from Shakespeare to Nipsey Hussle.

Jeanetta Wolfe, an educator and poet, has taught it in her classroom for more than five years.

"I would just have to say transformative and life changing. That's not just a slogan," said Wolfe.

"Get Lit's slogan is 'claim your poem, claim your life' and it's just the absolute truth," added Wolfe, who teaches in southeast Los Angeles County.

"The first word that comes to mind when I think about Get Lit is 'opportunity,' because that's just what they've offered me is opportunities to learn about poetry and also just opportunities to share my work," said Jelina Hendrickson, a student at Mark Keppel High School.

Now, students are becoming teachers through Get Lit's, first-of-its-kind virtual platform Uni(verse.) They're reaching students across the country and the world."

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Read the full article on ABC7.com.

Diane Luby Lane participated in a TedX Santa Barbara event about the power of poetry to transform literacy education.

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From TedX Santa Barbara:

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Is it possible to change the field of education with poetry? Yes!

Diane has been using poetry to transform classrooms in Southern California since 2006. Over 10,000 students graduate from Get Lit's award-winning curriculum each year.

Education is at crisis levels. Recent events in the US have shined a spotlight on racial injustice. However, we also need to recognize and address the injustices that take place every day in our classrooms.

Youth voices and youth stories are at the center of Get Lit’s curriculum in which students claim classic/contemporary poems that resonate with their hopes, dreams, and life experiences.

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Read more here: https://www.ted.com/talks/diane_luby_lane_changing_the_field_of_education_with_poetry and https://tedxsantabarbara.com/2022/diane-luby-lane-is-it-possible-to-change-the-field-of-education-with-poetry-yes/

Watch the full event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOFkYCClewE&t=2s

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ABC 7 News recently hosted a story about Get Lit on their nightly news.  In the first of a two-part segment, reporter Anabel Munoz highlighted Sierra Leone Anderson, a Get Lit Player who recently wrote the poem "For Uvalde" about gun violence.

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"LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Sierra Leone Anderson has a bright smile and an infectious laugh.

The 15-year-old describes herself as a scholar, determined, loving, and honest, as evidenced in her poem titled "For Uvalde."

She dedicates the poem to the families and communities in Uvalde, impacted by the murder of 19 children and two teachers, and all victims of gun violence.

"If anyone reads this poem, whether they're youth, or they're an educator, whether they're not, I really want them to be afraid," said Anderson. "I really want them to be scared of how kids are living now, of how we've lived for a very long time. And then I want them to actually do something about it."

She began writing poetry at about age 12 when her teacher implemented the Get Lit Words Ignite curriculum."

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See the first part of the series here.

Get Lit is launching 1,000 Verses to fund Uni(verse), the world’s first interactive poetry platform for the classroom, community, and beyond.

We want our growing Poetry Wall– a compilation of poetic verses from around the world– to feature your favorite verse of poetry. Each submission will contribute to a Cento that will be read by the legendary Jane Fonda at our Virtual Launch Party on December 11th. Join our campaign & #ContributeAVerse now!

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Students, Teachers and renown poets from all over the world are recording and submitting their favorite verses and are being featured on Get Lit's Poetry Wall. Ask the Universe (Poetry Wall) a burning question and have it answered! Visit the Poetry Wall now to have the answer you've been searching for!

If you or a teacher/student/poet you know would like to submit your favorite verse, please visit our 1,000 Verses Form

RSVP for our December 11th Event HERE!

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The film “Summertime” follows 27 young poets across LA in a single day. It’s the second feature by director Carlos López Estrada, who made his debut with “Blindspotting” in 2018.

It stars and is written entirely by youth poets from Get Lit, an LA-based nonprofit that teaches spoken word to students.

The cast of “Summertime” includes 27 youth spoken word poets. Courtesy of Leslie Poliak

The genesis for the film began when Estrada attended Get Lit’s poetry showcase.

“He had this idea about combining real life in LA, not the life that we see frequently on TV, with the spoken word from all these unbelievably good poets,” says Laurie Kurnick, an English teacher at Cleveland High School in Reseda who’s active in Get Lit.

Jason Álvarez, who recently graduated from Cleveland High School in Reseda, is among the cast. He plays a graffiti artist who's always being chased away for tagging “City of Jason” on the sides of buildings.

“I didn't know nothing (sic) about poetry,” he says, before taking classes with Kurnick in high school and later at Get Lit. “I thought it was just Shakespeare or Dr. Seuss.”

Now, he says he writes genuine poetry and spoken word for the person in the back of the room who feels like they’re going through tough situations alone. “I want to reach out to them with my stories.”

Jason Álvarez checks out a mural artist painting over his "tags" on a building. Courtesy of Leslie Poliak

Kurnick says kids are often eager and open to writing about their own experiences and channeling their pain through spoken word.

“[Tell] kids that their story, their experience, is legitimate,” she says. “Not only are people interested in hearing it, but we need to hear it. Who the heck else is going to tell that story?”

The film premieres in LA and New York on July 9.

Read/listen to the full feature at https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/greater-la/golfing-dodgers-poets/summertime-film-get-lit

What's more Get Lit than Summertime!?

What's more Summertime than a block party!?

What's more block party than You + hundreds of your closest poet pals!?

The Get Lit Summertime Block Party!!!

Join us on Thursday July 8th at the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica from noon 'til sundown for an all day line up of Get Lit's hottest poets celebrating the world premiere of Summertime! We're taking over the whole block with poetry, music, dancing, workshops, autographed Get Lit & Summertime swag, and more. What better way to celebrate the release of this groundbreaking movie and the 27 Get Lit poets who created it than with a finally-in-person block party bash in the most poppin'est part of the city! All ages, all day, all free, poetry for all people! COME THRU!!!

It all started with a poem. Join us as we celebrate these youth poets in their journey from classic slams and open mics, to the big screen. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Surprise a Virtual Poetry Class: ‘It was Pretty Surreal’

‍Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are talking poetry!

The couple made a surprise appearance in honor of Black History Month on Saturday, joining a virtual poetry class with Get Lit, an organization that promotes literacy and empowers young people through poetry.

“Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend?! It was the best weekend EVER!” the organization captioned a screenshot of the duo joining their Zoom call — with some shocked reactions from other participants. “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were magic and kind and interested in poetry!”

Get Lit said that Meghan shared some of her favorite lines of poems and dubbed the it “most epic experience in Get Lit history!!!”

RELATED: Prince Harry and James Corden ‘Had a Great Time’ Filming Carpool Karaoke on Double Decker Bus

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Credit: Toby Melville – WPA Pool/Getty

RELATED: Prince Harry and James Corden ‘Had a Great Time’ Filming Carpool Karaoke on Double Decker Bus

Teacher Mason Granger shared on Instagram why Meghan, 39, and Prince Harry, 36, joined the class.

“The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem,” he said. “And whoever wrote that poem at some point thought to themselves, ‘Does this even matter? Is anyone even listening?’ And they shared it anyway.”

He continued, “Fast forward ripple ripple ripple and these kids get a surprise 45 minute chat with the Prince Harry and Meghan. It was pretty surreal.”

Granger said that the kids were able to share poems and ask Meghan and Harry questions. He even commented that the couple took the time to “actually read and learned the kids bios I’d sent earlier.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Credit: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Get Lit was founded in 2006 after Diane Luby Lane and the curriculum has expanded to over 100 schools throughout California as well as being sold to schools around the world.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Commonwealth Day Service in the U.K. in March 2020. | Credit: Shutterstock

The organization’s Instagram post included the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter, #BLM and #BlackHistoryMonth. Following the killing of George Floyd, Meghan gave an emotional surprise address during the virtual graduation ceremony of her former school, Immaculate Heart High School in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. In her speech, she told the students, “the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.”

Meghan and Harry have also been talking to community leaders about how they can both learn more and contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Read More in People

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Surprised a Poetry Class on Zoom

‍Poetry is having a real moment in American pop culture. Last night, Amanda Gorman became the first poet in history to recite an original work at the Super Bowl, sharing a piece that highlighted the work of the game’s honorary captains. (Of course, her performance came just a few weeks after the National Youth Poet Laureate stole the show at Joe Biden’s inauguration with her poem: “The Hill We Climb.”)

And now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have popped up in a youth poetry class on Zoom. In honor of Black History Month, the Duke and Duchess attended a virtual session with Get Lit — Words Ignite!, a Los Angeles-based organization which uses poetry to “increase literacy, empower youth, and inspire communities.”

“Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend?! It was the best weekend EVER! Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were magic and kind and interested in poetry!” reads an Instagram post on the Get Lit handle. “The Duchess even shared some of her favorite poetry lines. We are so grateful for their visit in honor of Black History Month. It goes down as most epic experience in Get Lit history!!!”

The organization has yet to reveal which poem Meghan quoted, but in the past she has shared that she’s a fan of Matt Haig’s “A Note from the Beach,” and the work of Maya Angelou.

Several people involved in the class have shared about their experiences on social media, including Mason Granger, the Manager of Public Outreach for the program.

“My favorite part of it all was Meghan echoing so many sentiments we’ve talked about in class, about this particular moment in time/history to be a young person and the ripple effect of a single voice,” Granger wrote on Instagram. “The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem.”

Read More in Town & Country

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The official “Summertime” movie trailer is OUT! Thanks so much to Good Deed Entertainment for helping us bring our spoken word film to you all. “Summertime” is an American comedy-drama film directed by Carlos López Estrada, the director of Blindspotting, and features a day in the life of 25 young poets from Get Lit.

This is a big year for youth poetry, and we hope this inspires audiences to be creative and embrace the arts! Look out for our BTS series “The Road to Summertime” The 10-Episode Making of Summertime digital docuseries will also be premiering soon. Stay tuned to watch how the film was made before it comes out. Also, pre-order the upcoming book of poetry “Summertime: Odes To L.A.” partnered with the film- all proceeds from this book go to the youth poet authors!

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Word of our upcoming Virtual Launch Party is spreading throughout new sources like wild fire! At this time, it has posted on 296 sites in total!

AWARD-WINNING ACTRESS & ACTIVIST JANE FONDA SET TO PARTICIPATE IN A SPECIAL POETRY READING DURING

LAUNCH PARTY FOR  GET LIT’S GROUNDBREAKING POETRY SHARING PLATFORM: UNI(VERSE) ON DECEMBER 11, 2021

Los Angeles, CA- December 6, 2021 -  Diane Luby Lane, Founder of Get Lit - Words Ignite, the Los Angeles-based education nonprofit started in 2006 to increase literacy, empower youth, and energize communities through poetry and visual media, announced today that the 15th annual Get Lit Gala this year will be a Launch Party for Uni(verse). The event will take place virtually on December 11, 2021, with award winning actress and activist Jane Fonda set to participate in a very special reading of the UNI(VERSE) Launch Poem, created through hundreds of globally submitted verses as part of Get Lit’s 1,000 Verses / $1,000,000 Campaign.

Get Lit is transforming the lives of young people worldwide through classic and spoken word poetry. Through specialized curriculums, the program provides a creative outlet, community, and real-life work experience, transforming students into activists, scholars, and stars. The Uni(verse) Launch Party will introduce Get Lit’s brand new, one-of-a-kind poetry sharing platform Uni(verse), the world's first interactive poetry platform for the classroom and youth community. Uni(verse) is based on the award-winning and impactful poetry, literacy, and empowerment curriculum that Get Lit has always provided, but the platform now allows students worldwide the ability to access the program online and to exchange ideas within and outside of school.  

To read the full article, click HERE!

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Actress and Summertime Movie producer Kelly Marie Tran has added “Poet” to her list of occupations. Inspired by her experience with our Get Lit Poets and the Summertime Movie, she embarked an a personal journey to master the art of poetry.

"It is my hope that watching me — very awkwardly — learn how to write poetry can encourage those who, like me, might feel afraid to try something they've always wanted to do," says Kelly Marie Tran

Kelly Marie Tran is tapping into her inner poet. The 32-year-old actress serves as executive producer on Summertime, "a spoken-word poetry musical set in Los Angeles, following the intersecting stories of 27 young Angelinos over the course of a single day."

Summertime, which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and is set to hit theaters beginning Friday, is a project that "changed" the actress, 32, "on a molecular level," she tells PEOPLE.

The star adds that she was also excited to reunite with director Carlos López Estrada, whom she worked with on Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon.

"Working with the incredible young poets of Summertime has changed me on a molecular level," Tran says. "It is my hope that watching me — very awkwardly — learn how to write poetry can encourage those who, like me, might feel afraid to try something they've always wanted to do."

Read the full article via People Magazine at the link below.

https://people.com/movies/kelly-marie-tran-learns-to-become-a-poet-summertime-movie-exclusive/

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Get Lit Poets Jovana, JayLoni, Jason, Vanessa, and Salome share their talent and stories.

"Arts education can truly be a transformative journey. Get Lit, an education non-profit dedicated to increasing teen literacy through the power of spoken word, is proud to collaborate with PBS SoCal | KCET in order to inspire creative expression, provide culturally relevant narratives, and grow social-emotional intelligence. Through the unique stories of five Get Lit poets, we not only offer their sheer talent of performance and storytelling, but activities, prompts, and discussion questions to apply to learning both inside and outside of the classroom in these Common Core-aligned mini-lessons."

For JayLoni Rall's mini-lesson, click HERE

For Jovana Tankou's mini-lesson, click HERE

For Jason Alvarez's mini-lesson, click HERE

For Vanessa Tahay's mini-lesson, click HERE

For Salome Agbaroji's mini-lesson, click HERE

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In the New Yorker’s recent American Chronicle’s article, In a Divided Country, Communal Living Redefines Togetherness, they discuss communal living, togetherness, and what it means to come home. Get Lit alumni, poet, artist, and mother, Jazmine Williams, is featured in this article. Read on at the link below, and join us for our next Free Verse Membership Club to connect with our community!

Read at the New Yorker.

"Wellesley student Mila Cuda guided the poetry that makes up ‘Summertime’"

"Mila Cuda began writing poetry at age 15 with the Los Angeles-based teen literacy program Get Lit: Words Ignite. Through open mics and workshops, her involvement in the organization grew from student to teacher. She eventually began coaching other teen poets and editing their works...Meanwhile, her experience as a Get Lit editor and teacher made her the perfect candidate for the position of poetry editor and supervisor. In the summer of 2019, she led a group of Get Lit young poets to workshop the script for “Summertime.”"

Read more about Mila's story at bostonglobe.com

Get Lit: Changing the World One Word At A Time

by Brad Koepenick

Diane: People are people. “Classics aren’t classics because they’re old, but because they’re great.” Good books, deep thoughts, delicious food, powerful music – they are for all of us. To me, we’re all “underserved students,” literally starving for inspiration, connection, and to be awakened from this mass dream with Purpose.

To read Brad Koepenick and Diane Luby Lane’s full conversation about Get Lit, Summertime, and our new online global community platform, Uni(verse) CLICK HERE

We’re so honored that Marianne Williamson introduced Get Lit and the wonderful voices of Get Lit Players Cassady Lopez and Tyris Winters as they performed a poem by Kathy Eldon for the “Hope Rising” book launch!

A special Summertime event screening featuring Get Lit poets, both alums and current GLPs, and Carlos Lopez Estrada, director of Summertime (2021) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2020), was held at the historic Union Station in Los Angeles. The event during the day showcased current GLPs Sierra Leone Anderson and Fernanda Herrera as they performed poetry to the people of Downtown Los Angeles. The crowd was abuzz that sunny Friday, vibing to the poetry and the music from the live DJ. As night came about, Get lit alums and stars of Summertime: Anna Osuna, Mila Cuda, Paolina Acuna-Gonzalez, Marquesha Babers, and Austin Antoine filled the Union Station Great Hall with more poetry, live music, and immaculate vibes. Austin Antoine closed out the show with a killer set of his original music and genius freestyle rapping skills. After a few words from director Carlos Lopez Estrada, the packed audience sat back to enjoy Summertime and its love letter to Los Angeles.

Meghan Markle Joins Prince Harry for First Public Appearance of the Year – See Stunning Pics

‍The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their first appearance this year – when they completely surprised a poetry class over the weekend.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took the time out to honor Black History Month and show their support for Get Lit, which is a literary group that describes its work as empowering youth and emboldening communities.

The group shared about their notable guests’ visit on Twitter: “Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend?! It was the best weekend EVER! Harry and Meghan were magic & kind & interested in poetry! The Duchess even shared some of her favorite poetry lines. We are so grateful for their visit in honor of Black History Month.”

This is the first appearance we have seen of the couple during an event since December 14th.

Meghan last made a surprise appearance on a CNN Heroes special and delivered remarks in a pre-taped segment that aired in mid-Decemeber to celebrate those who have supported others amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Meghan and harry stunned the Get Lit poetry class – dropping into honor Black History Month

“In a year that has been universally challenging for everyone, I’m inspired by the stories of compassion in our communities. Across the country, people have put their own needs aside to come together and support the collective well-being of those around them,” Prince Harry’s wife said.

“Back in March, the COVID-19 crisis hit hard, and overnight everything seemed to change. For many families, the impact of the pandemic has been catastrophic, and far too many were faced with the heartbreaking question: How am I going to put food on the table for my family?

Harry and Meghan were last seen in December (pictured)

“But in the face of this devastating reality, we also saw the power of the human spirit and the remarkable ways that communities respond in challenging times. We saw the good in people, in our neighbours and in entire communities coming together to say they would not stand by while our neighbours went hungry,” she continued.

“These moments reminded so many that they’re cared for. Tonight, we are celebrating these quiet heroes, some of whom I know and others that we applaud from afar.

Also in December, fans were treated to a glimpse of their family Christmas card

These individuals stood up and made sure the most basic needs of our communities were met. They made sure those around them did not have to suffer in isolation. They nourished their neighbours in more ways than one,” the mother-of-one said.

“And they showed us, all of us, that even in the darkest times, when we come together, we have the power to remind someone else that there is hope, and that we will be okay.”

Read More in Hello

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MEDIA ALERT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For All Press Inquiries:

Emily Motill: Emily.Motill@rogersandcowanpmk.com Diane Luby Lane: diane@getlit.org

Los Angeles Teachers honored at Summertime Movie Premiere!

LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 9, 2021: Get Lit – Words Ignite, the LA based nonprofit that fuses classic and spoken word poetry to increase teen literacy on the page and in visual media, has partnered with Good Deed Entertainment and Tiger Tales Media to host a private screening of the film SUMMERTIME, as a thank you to teachers across the Los Angeles area. In a new film from Good Deed Entertainment, SUMMERTIME stars and is written by twenty-seven poets from the Get Lit organization.

SUMMERTIME will be premiering July 9th at The Landmark Theater in Los Angeles with a screening sponsored by Get Lit, and Tiger Tales Media in honor of the educators, whose hard work and dedication were responsible for the success of the 27 students featured in the film. The SUMMERTIME cast will open the premiere with an original poem dedicated to teachers, and the movie will be followed by a Q&A featuring the SUMMERTIME Cast and Director, Carlos López Estrada.

SUMMERTIME follows the intersecting stories of 27 youth spoken word poets over a single day in Los Angeles. The director’s ground-breaking vision began at a poetry showcase where performers from across the City of Angels recited fearlessly personal texts about themselves, their communities, and their relationship to their city. The project was then developed around their individual poems and interwoven into a larger, unified, and gloriously moving narrative experiment — part contemporary musical and part sociological art. SUMMERTIME explores themes of identity, community, and intersectionality through the unique perspectives of this diverse ensemble.

If you are a teacher and have not received an invitation, please contact diane@getlit.org

Tiger Tales Media is funding the creation of a PG version of SUMMERTIME so that it can be viewed in classrooms across the country and will partner with Get Lit in the creation of a SUMMERTIME curriculum for schools. The SUMMERTIME curriculum will be accessed through Get Lit’s brand new interactive online platform for poetry called Uni(verse). Over 200 specially invited teachers were sent a “golden ticket” to the premiere and will receive a QR code that will log them into the Uni(verse) site where they will connect to the SUMMERTIME curriculum, then invite their students to respond with their own videos and poems as well!

Good Deed Entertainment (GDE) is an Ohio based independent studio dedicated to producing, financing, and distributing quality entertainment for feature films, television, the worldwide web, and tomorrow’s anticipated platforms. Its distribution slate includes recent releases Lucky Grandma and Enemy Lines in addition to the Academy Award nominated, Loving Vincent, and Spirit Award nominated, To Dust.

Get Lit - Words Ignite is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit that transforms the lives of young people through classic poetry and spoken word. It engages young people by providing a creative outlet, community, and real-life work experience, transforming students into activists, scholars, and stars. Get Lit annually reaches 50,000 youth, aged 9 through young adulthood through its In-School, After School and Weekend Programs.

The Hollywood Reporter recently published an article about Get Lit’s new partnership with the Writer’s Guild Foundation for our Poetic Screenwriters Lab, which will pair youth poets with mentors in the industry.

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WRITERS GUILD FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES YOUTH SCREENWRITING PROGRAM WITH SPOKEN WORD NONPROFIT GET LIT

BY DEGEN PENER

For the last 16 years, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Get Lit – Words Ignite has engaged and energized thousands of students around the country and even internationally with its spoken-word in-school programs. Now it’s announced a partnership with the Writers Guild Foundation and Final Draft to provide a path into Hollywood for some of those students every year, creating a two-year youth writing program, the Poetic Screenwriters Lab.

“The Writers Guild Foundation is proud to support rising voices in the industry by partnering with like-minded nonprofits such as Get Lit,” said Writers Guild Foundation executive director Katie Buckland in a statement. “The Poetic Screenwriters Lab is an impressive intersection between learning the fundamentals of craft and the business of writing for the screen.”

To read the full article, click here!

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Sweetly Surprise a Group of Youth Poets for Black History Month

‍The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are ringing in Black History Month with the help of some very talented students.

Both Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan surprised a group of youth poets as part of the educational group Get Lit – Words Ignite, a Los Angeles–based poetry curriculum taught in more than 100 L.A. schools. For the appearance, the duke and duchess kept things cool and casual while chatting with students about the importance of poetry in culture. Meghan, showing off her now signature pared-down California style, wore a light blue button-down and left her hair in soft waves, while Harry looked laid-back in a white polo.

Mason Granger, the manager of community outreach for Get Lit – Words Ignite, shared a screenshot of the conversation on Instagram featuring the royal couple, and applauded the pair’s appearance and natural chemistry with the students.

“Soooo Prince Harry and Meghan dropped into my poetry class on Saturday and kicked it with the Get Lit Players for a multitude of minutes. My favorite part of it all was Meghan echoing so many sentiments we’ve talked about in class, about this particular moment in time/history to be a young person and the ripple effect of a single voice,” wrote Granger. “The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem. And whoever wrote that poem at some point thought to themselves, ‘Does this even matter? Is anyone even listening?’ And they shared it anyway.”

Granger continued, revealing that the couple chatted with students for almost an hour and described the experience as “surreal.”

“Fast forward ripple ripple ripple and these kids get a surprise 45 minute chat with the Prince Harry and Meghan. It was pretty surreal. My kids shared poems, they asked questions, the kids answered and asked questions back, they responded authentically (they actually read and learned the kids bios I’d sent earlier),” continued Granger. “The org and all the kids are posting today with more details about the visit— I just want to say that the Get Lit Players are brilliant and 10/10 would recommend The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for your next Zoom poetry practice.”

The Sussexes’ appearance was in conjunction with the release of Get Lit’s new 2020-2021 Virtual Anthology celebrating all Black authors and poets. The anthology which can be accessed here, was created in support of the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement and aims to “inspire new perspectives, spread understanding, celebrate great art, and highlight the multitudes of injustice” in the world.

Read More in Harpers Bazaar

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It's official, our Get Lit Poets and the movie Summertime are putting spoken word back into the spotlight. Read the full review and impact of this incredible project. Bring spoken word to a school near you! Thank you to the L.A. Times and Carlos Aguilar for the review.

Read the full article here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-07-09/summertime-carlos-lopez-estrada-kelly-marie-tran

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This year, the Hollywood Foreign Press honored Get Lit at the 2021 Golden Globes to highlight the support they have given Get Lit and other nonprofit organizations.
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At this event, former Get Lit Player Cyrus Roberts became the first poet to ever write and perform a poem at the Golden Globes.

Get Lit Director of Creative Media Samuel Curtis was also highlighted as a speaker at the event: "Now, more than ever, the world is listening to your words."

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At the event, the Hollywood Foreign Press launched the Reimagine Coalition, their collaboration with the NAACP that will create a set of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility standards to ensure these values are upheld in Hollywood and broadcast media.

Here’s what the Hollywood Foreign Press has to say about Get Lit:

Over the past four years, the Hollywood Foreign Press has been instrumental in supporting Get Lit’s mission of fostering a Poetic New Wave, fueled by diverse talent and the next generation of creators. During tumultuous times of division and disinformation, poets have risen to speak truth to power, transforming the often-complex issues of what it means to be human into a new coherent context of vision understanding and hope. Poetic creation and thought not only has the power to ignite change, but also the opportunity for reflection, healing, and growth. From everyone at Get Lit, and to all the poets around the world, now more than ever, the world is listening to your words.

Get Lit received a grant from the NBA Foundation, among 40 other organizations that are being honored for creating employment opportunities, furthering career advancement, and driving greater economic empowerment for Black youth throughout the United States and Canada.

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Launched in August 2020, the NBA Foundation is focused on creating greater economic opportunity and career advancement in the Black community. Through grant funding, the Foundation seeks to increase access and support for high school, college-aged and career-ready Black youth, and assist national and local organizations-- like Get Lit-- that provide skills training, mentorship, coaching and pipeline development in NBA markets and communities across the U.S. and Canada.

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The full list of the 38 grantees, including Get Lit, and their efforts can be viewed HERE.

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“As we near the conclusion of the NBA Foundation’s first year of grant-making, we’re excited to announce our latest round of awards to 38 new, deserving non-profit organizations,” said Greg Taylor, NBA Foundation Executive Director. “We are confident that our support will create short- and long-term advancement opportunities for these organizations and the communities that they serve.”

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To date, the Foundation has awarded 78 grants, totaling $22 million to non-profit organizations. The NBA Foundation, created by the 30 NBA teams, works in partnership with the teams’ affiliated charitable organizations and the NBPA to support national and local organizations with a specific focus on team markets, utilizing the collective $30 million annual commitment from the NBA Board of Governors as well as additional funding sources. To learn more about the NBA Foundation or apply for a grant, please visit www.nbafoundation.com or follow @NBAFoundation.

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The Foundation is led by Executive Director Greg Taylor. Its Board of Directors is comprised of eight representatives:
o Players: Harrison Barnes and Tobias Harris
o Governors: Gayle Benson, Michael Jordan, Tony Ressler and Larry Tanenbaum
o NBA and NBPA: Commissioner Adam Silver and Executive Director Michele Roberts

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Read the full press release from the NBA Foundation here.

This week, Get Lit founder Diane Luby Lane appeared on the Kelly Clarkson show with student poets Sierra Leone and Jason to demonstrate the power of the poetic voice.  After talking with Diane about the Get Lit model and the poetic new wave of spoken word, Kelly shared the ways poetry has influenced her life as a singer/songwriter.

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Jason and Sierra Leone then read their own original poetry and brought Kelly Clarkson to tears.

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You can watch the video on NBC here, or Kelly's official Youtube channel here.

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Here's an excerpt from Kelly Clarkson's official recap:

Kelly couldn't help but get emotional during a powerful poetry reading by "Get Lit" participants Sierra Leone and Jason. "Get Lit" is a Los Angeles-based education nonprofit revolutionizing how students see, connect and engage with the art of poetry. "Get Lit" founder Diane shares how their groundbreaking curriculum is helping empower students through classic and spoken word poetry, and how many of their students have gone on to create a "poetic new wave" in Hollywood. Watch till the end for a huge surprise for "Get Lit!"

- AAPI

- PRIDE

- Channel 66

Thank you so much to NBC LA for featuring our team and poets last night! Click to watch the video of their coverage here.

Interested in joining a program? Our free youth writing class, our Emerging Writers Fellowship, and youth film class, Pilot 1: Intro to Film, are available to join! Check out our Programs page for more information.

Support our programming here.

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Read the full article here: https://www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-poetry-getlit-20190423-story.html

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Nia Lewis hated dodging strangers making leering comments on the street.

First the catcalls made her angry. Then they inspired her.

“You must understand that a body is just a body, a silhouette isn’t a definition of a woman,” Lewis writes in a poem called “Closed.”

This week, the Larchmont Charter School senior joins high-school students from throughout California at the Get Lit Classic Slam in Los Angeles. This is the 18-year-old poet’s fourth time performing on the Get Lit stage.

“The Classic Slam is a very exciting and nerve-wracking experience because I love being able to inspire others, but performing makes me really nervous,” Lewis said. “I used to have a huge problem of holding my problems inside, but that caused me to feel like I’m carrying a heavy weight on my chest.”

The best part about performing, she says, is the aftermath, “when others come up to me to express that they needed to hear my words. It made me want to keep writing and sharing my experiences in hopes that I can change someone’s life.”

More than 50 high schools are sending teams, each made up of six students, to the annual Classic Slam, which takes place Thursday and Friday at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, and Saturday at the Theatre at Ace Hotel.

This year’s Classic Slam, hosted by hip-hop artist George Watsky and Get Lit education coordinator Monique Mitchell, will bring together more than 300 students, many participating for the first time.

Get Lit – Words Ignite has hosted the poetry slam since 2012, when 18 schools competed at the Wiltern in Koreatown. The event was the brainchild of Diane Luby Lane, who taught a spoken-word poetry curriculum to high-school students in Long Beach, Compton and Watts.

When her students graduated, she thought they deserved a celebration — a chance to compete at a special venue.

“I didn’t want it to be in a high-school auditorium; I wanted it to feel gigantic,” Lane said. “If it failed, we would fail big, but if it worked, it would be great. And it worked.”

The first Classic Slam featured students from the Los Angeles area, and the event has grown significantly in recent years. This year’s slam includes schools from all over California, and from as far away as Boston.

Unlike most poetry slams, Get Lit invites students to recite classic poems, and then perform verses they’ve written in response. But the classic poems the students choose aren’t just textbook staples like Shakespeare sonnets or John Donne odes. Slam attendees are just as likely to hear the work of Rudy Francisco and Tupac Shakur as they are to hear poems by Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman.

“We always say a classic isn’t a classic because it’s old, a classic is a classic because it’s great,” Lane said. “We’re redefining what the canon is.”

Many participants never had an interest in poetry until seeing performances by the Get Lit players. That was the case for Khamal Iwuanyanwu, now 20, who was the highest-scoring individual poet at the 2015 slam. This year, he will be in the audience.

“In seventh grade, I had a poetry class, and I failed it so hard,” he said. A few years later, an English teacher invited students to an assembly featuring Get Lit poets.

“It was one of the mind-blowing experiences I had ever had,” Iwuanyanwu said.

At the 2015 slam, he set a pastoral Southern California scene as he took the stage to read his poem “Sepia.”

“Autumn leaves fall from aging trees,” he said. “The sun rays leave the air in a golden haze. Hey there, hello. I never realized how beautiful the sky could be.”

In a matter of seconds, however, his voice broke and his delivery quickened as the Cleveland Charter High School student described the experience of being a young black man in America.

“Black boy, beware your skin,” he said, as the crowd gasped and cheered his poem, which has gone viral on YouTube. “It is not a trophy, but a target, a mark for the bullet to hit. Black boy, we are all human. Don’t worry about the color of your skin. But I have to, because I know what I am, a black boy.”

Mila Cuda, 19, also heard about the Get Lit Classic Slam from a teacher — Kelly Grace Thomas Vojdani, who taught creative writing at iLEAD North Hollywood.

“I had always been interested in writing, but it wasn’t until discovering Get Lit and the Classic Slam that I had a community to share my passions with,” Cuda said. “It was the community aspect, as opposed to the competitive aspect, that really piqued my interest.”

Cuda’s Classic Slam team won in 2015 and 2016, the first to notch back-to-back victories. She said participating helped her find her way: “to write, to teach, to heal, to help.”

The slate of judges for this year’s event include poets Olivia Gatwood, Sam Sax and Rudy Francisco, as well as filmmaker Carlos López Estrada (“Blindspotting”) and actor and producer Pamela Adlon. (An upcoming episode of Adlon’s television show “Better Things” takes place at the Classic Slam; her daughter participated in the event a few years ago.)

Nia Lewis said being part of the annual slam has brought out confidence and power she didn’t know she had. “I thank Get Lit for teaching me that I have a voice that the world needs to hear.”

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Classic Slam alumni Gabby Wilson and Amanda Gorman performed at the Super Bowl LV, with Amanda Gorman being the first U.S. Youth Poet Laureate to perform at a Super Bowl event.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Make a Surprise Appearance in Zoom Poetry Class in Honor Of Black History Month Where Duchess ‘Shared Some of Her Favorite Lines’ With Stunned Teenagers

‍Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said they would add a Joni Mitchell song to their ‘dinner playlist’ after a teenager recommended it to them during an online poetry class at the weekend.

The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, were the guests of honor during a digital event organized by poetry group Get Lit in honor of Black History Month, during which Meghan ‘shared some of her favorite lines’ with the aspiring performers, while Harry expressed a keen ‘interest’ in poetry.

In a screenshot shared by Get Lit on Instagram, Prince Harry and Meghan are seen beaming with joy as they introduce themselves to the participants in the free class – which was attended by aspiring poets aged between 13 and 19 – many of whom are seen staring open-mouthed at the on-screen couple.

Meghan and Harry, who joined the call from the couple’s $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara, were also recommended a Joni Mitchell song by one of the young poets, with the group’s leader Mason Granger commenting on Instagram: ‘They talked about poetry, Meghan mentioned Joni Mitchell and one of them gave her a song recommendation, it was cool.’

Meanwhile Diane Luby Lane, Get Lit’s founder and executive director, told HuffPost: ‘They took music suggestions from the Poets and said it would be their dinner playlist.’

Diane also shared: ‘[Meghan and Harry] They both listened so deeply to every word of the 3 poems that they heard.’

Meanwhile she explained the couple also ‘discussed deep things like racism and the importance of listening to one another.’

Sharing the news of the couple’s appearance on Instagram, the Get Lit poet page commented: ‘We’ve saved the best for last! Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend?!’

‘It was the best weekend EVER! Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were magic and kind and interested in poetry!’ the caption continued.

‘The Duchess even shared some of her favorite poetry lines. We are so grateful for their visit in honor of Black History Month. It goes down as most epic experience in Get Lit history!’

Although the post did not share further details about which poems the Duchess chose to share, she has previously recited lines from A Note from the Beach by Matt Haig, as well as quoting pieces from Maya Angelou.

On its website, the organization explains that it is working to ‘increase literacy, empower the youth, and inspire communities’ through poetry, revealing that it now teaches it curriculum in more than 100 schools across California.

In the screenshot shared by Get Lit, Harry and Meghan are seen grinning from ear-to-ear while several of the students stare back at them in shock, with one even covering her mouth in surprise.

Both the Duke and Duchess dressed casually for the occasion, with Harry wearing a white polo shirt and a leather necklace, while Meghan is seen modeling a pale blue button down, with her long brunette hair left in loose waves around her shoulders.

The image also showed that the couple logged on to the Zoom call under the username ‘DoS’, which likely stands for either the Duke or Duchess of Sussex; Harry and Meghan have maintained the use of their royal titles since stepping down as senior members of the royal family in January last year, and often use them when they are taking part in public engagements.

Poetry teacher Mason Granger, who led Saturday’s class, thanked Meghan for encouraging his students to use their voices for the greater good, revealing that she discussed with them how significant the ‘ripple effect of a single voice’ can be.

‘Soooo Prince Harry and Meghan dropped into my poetry class on Saturday and kicked it with the Get Lit Players for a multitude of minutes,’ Mason wrote.

‘My favorite part of it all was Meghan echoing so many sentiments we’ve talked about in class, about this particular moment in time/history to be a young person and the ripple effect of a single voice.

‘The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem. And whoever wrote that poem at some point thought to themselves, “Does this even matter? Is anyone even listening?” And they shared it anyway.

‘Fast forward ripple ripple ripple and these kids get a surprise 45 minute chat with the Prince Harry and Meghan. It was pretty surreal. My kids shared poems, they asked questions, the kids answered and asked questions back, they responded authentically (they actually read and learned the kids bios I’d sent earlier).’

Another teacher, Sheila J, echoed those sentiments in her own post, in which she thanked Harry and Meghan for their ‘kindness and generosity’.

Several of the participants in the class also took to social media to share their surprise at seeing Meghan and Harry pop up on their screens, with one – Cielo – writing: ‘So…Prince Harry and Megan Markle came to our [Get Lit Poetry] practice on Saturday.

‘I- I’m at a loss for words on how cool and incredible this experience was. They were super kind, respectful and so genuine. I loved being able to hear them experience the impact of words and poetry with my fellow glps!!’

Another – Jovana – thanked the Duke and Duchess for giving her the chance to ‘share the art of poetry’ with them, while joking about how shocked she looked in the image taken during the class.

‘Live footage of me looking MORTIFIED trying to hold a conversation with Megan Markle,’ she wrote.

‘Thank you so much Get Lit for the opportunity and thank you to the [Duke] and Duchess of Sussex for allowing us to share the art of poetry with you.’

The posts were all shared at around the same time on Monday afternoon – with the official Get Lit account leading the publicity charge in what appears to have been a carefully-timed release that was no doubt coordinated with Harry and Meghan’s team of aides.

While Meghan was praised for helping to inspire the students in the poetry class, it is possible that they also helped to kickstart her own personal writing projects – after it was reported last week that she has some ‘very serious book deals on the table’.

According to Vanity Fair‘s Katie Nicholl, the Duchess is considering writing a book and has been approached with ‘lucrative offers from respectable publishing houses.’

Since stepping down as a senior member of the royal family alongside the Duke, the Duchess has secured lucrative deals including a contract with Spotify worth up to $40 million and a partnership with Netflix believed to be worth upwards of $100 million.

Having already mirrored much of the career paths of former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, Meghan now appears to be following in their footsteps once again with her own lucrative book deal.

A source explained: ‘Meghan has some very serious book deals on the table. They are all up for consideration.’

President Barack launched his memoir A Promised Land in November, while his wife Michelle released her biography Becoming in 2018.

Read More in Daily Mail

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Crashed a Zoom Poetry Class and Gave a Rare Look Inside Their Home

‍Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have spent the past two months largely out of the spotlight, living their lives privately in their Montecito home, where they’ve been quarantining during the coronavirus pandemic with their one-year-old son Archie. But this afternoon, details about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first surprise event of 2021 emerged: The couple crashed one of Get Lit, a youth poetry organization’s, Zoom poetry classes.

The organization revealed the news on its Instagram, sharing a screenshot from the Zoom call. “Guess who surprised our poetry class this weekend?!” the organization wrote on its Instagram. “It was the best weekend EVER! Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were magic and kind and interested in poetry! The Duchess even shared some of her favorite poetry lines. We are so grateful for their visit in honor of Black History Month. It goes down as most epic experience in Get Lit history!!!”

Royal reporter Omid Scobie shared a close-up of Meghan and Harry’s Zoom screen on his Twitter. Behind them is a painting, giving fans another rare look into their home and how they decorated it.

Meghan and Harry’s Get Lit appearance comes one day after National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman gave the first-ever poetry reciting during the Super Bowl. Ahead of her big game performance, Gorman spoke to former First Lady Michelle Obama for Time about her experience with imposter syndrome

“Speaking in public as a Black girl is already daunting enough, just coming onstage with my dark skin and my hair and my race—that in itself is inviting a type of people that have not often been welcomed or celebrated in the public sphere,” she said. “Beyond that, as someone with a speech impediment, that impostor syndrome has always been exacerbated because there’s the concern, Is the content of what I’m saying good enough? And then the additional fear, Is the way I’m saying it good enough?“

Gorman also reflected on the power of poetry, following her viral inauguration poem reading. “Poetry and language are often at the heartbeat of movements for change,” Gorman told Obama. “If we look to the Black Lives Matter protests, you see banners that say, They buried us but they didn’t know we were seeds. That’s poetry being marshaled to speak of racial justice. If you analyze Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, it’s a great document of rhetoric that’s also a great document of poetry, of imagery, of song. Never underestimate the power of art as the language of the people.”

Read More in Elle

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Diane Luby Lane, Get Lit's founder and Executive Director, was interviewed by Misty Schwartz of Splash Magazine about the way Get Lit transforms classrooms using poetry.

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The interview can be found at this link. Read an excerpt of the interview below:

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Congratulations on the success with your foundation “Get Lit”, please tell us more about the what Get Lit is, does/ is?

Get Lit-Words Ignite has been using poetry to transform classrooms in Southern California since 2006. Over 10,000 students graduate from its award winning standards aligned English curriculum each year, and now with her creation of Uni(verse) the world’s first online poetry platform for the classroom, millions more will be served.For 16 years, Get Lit has met youth where they are, both physically and developmentally, giving them a straightforward, step-by-step entry into literacy and self-expression, and helping to remove barriers to learning and success. The results speak for themselves. Graduating Get Lit Poets have become Youth Poet Laureates, over 75% receive scholarships to college, they have performed at the White House 3 Times, been honored by the Library of Congress, have published books with Simon & Schuster, written films that have opened Sundance, performed on Broadway, won Fulbright Scholarships, won Grammys, and their videos have been watched over 300 million times.

Youth need to study great work, they need an outlet to speak and they need to know that someone is listening. Youth voices and youth stories are at the center of Get Lit’s curriculum in which students claim classic/contemporary poems that resonate with their hopes, dreams, and life experiences, then pen their own spoken word response poems, placing them in dialogue with the greatest poets and thinkers in history. Uni(verse) enlivens Get Lit’s curriculum online, and will allow millions more students to gain access to this curriculum across the country and all over the world.

We envision a world where all young people have access to the greatest writers and thinkers that human history has to offer, and will be heard and transformed academically and emotionally by being bonded to and part of this continuum. We visualize an exciting, equitable education system that inspires students to launch into their own curiosity, conversations, and excellence. And we are so proud to be on the forefront of creating this.

Five Get Lit poets are featuring in the newest documentary film executive produced by actress Rosario Dawson. Directed by Jordan W. Barrow and Matt Edwards, this film shares the stories of Tyris, Cassady, Virginia, Amari and Jason and explores their journey through the lens of their poetry.

This film was recently featured in an article in Deadline Magazine. A short clip from the article:

“From the first time I watched the film Our Words Collide, I knew I wanted to be a part of this project,” Dawson said. “It was so inspiring seeing the journey unfold for these five exceptional poets, knowing the challenges that so many young people are facing today with mental health, identity and expression, and finding your place in the world. I felt a sense of excitement knowing that the next generation have such a powerful voice and are ready to share it.”

Read the full article from Deadline here.

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Our Words Collide will be making its world premiere in documentary competition at the 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Saturday, March 5.

Buy your tickets here!

Our Classic Slam press release was recently picked up by 387 sites, including some top sites such as KTLA, Yahoo! Finance, AP, Markets Insider, and nationwide local news channels. In addition, it was tweeted by Poetry LA and covered by Broadway World. Read it below:

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WORLD-RENOWNED ARTISTS COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE YOUTH AT GET LIT- WORDS IGNITES, 11th ANNUAL CLASSIC POETRY SLAM APRIL 21-23

-The Three-Day Competition Is The Largest Classic Poetry Slam In The World-

April 11, 2022 – Los Angeles, CA— Get Lit – Words Ignite, the Los Angeles-based educational nonprofit whose mission is to increase literacy, empower youth, and energize communities through poetry and visual media will hold its 11^th annual Classic Poetry Slam April 21- 23, 2022.  The three-day Classic Slam event, which culminates with the Grand Slam Finals, is the largest Classic Poetry Slam in the world and includes hundreds of young poets from schools throughout California.  These young poets will come together to perform classic poems and original spoken word response pieces, live, for a panel of judges.  The public is invited to watch the live stream of the Grand Slam Finals on April 23rd beginning at 5pm PST on ClassicSlam.org. This year's judges will include world-renowned authors, poets, artists, and cultural luminaries such as Safia Elhillo, Brian Sonia-Wallace, Yesika Salgado, Sam Rush, and Edwin Bodney.   The 2022 slam will be hosted by actress, activist and poet Ashley August along with poet Vanessa Tahay and will also feature DJ Franky.

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Get Lit - Words Ignite, one of the nation’s leading non-profit arts and literacy organizations for spoken word poetry and film.  The organization fuses classic and spoken word poetry to increase literacy, empower youth, and inspire communities.

On April 21st and 22nd students will compete in Quarter & Semi-Final rounds in order to earn a spot in the Classic Slam 2022 Finals on April 23rd. Get Lit will award over $10,000 in cash and prizes to both poets and educators. The Classic Slam 2022 will be streaming across and through www.ClassicSlam.org. Online audiences will be able to watch their favorite team compete for the championship title. Some of the Los Angeles High Schools participating include LA School of Global Studies, Hamilton, Larchmont Charter, Animo Inglewood, Venice High School, Cleveland High School, Harvard-Westlake, San Gabriel High School, and more.

Get Lit was founded in 2006 after Diane Luby Lane created a one-woman show about the power of books and toured colleges, high schools, jails, and detention centers with iconic Chicano poet Jimmy Santiago Baca. After the show closed, Lane started teaching classic and spoken word poetry in three high schools: Fairfax, Fremont, and Walt Whitman Continuation. Today, the curriculum has expanded to over 140 schools throughout California, and is sold to schools all over the world. Get Lit’s poetic ambassadors, the Get Lit Players, have over 350 million online views.

Get Lit invites students to recite classic poems, and then perform their own spoken word responses. This creates a dialogue between the classic poet and the student. However, at Get Lit a classic isn’t a classic because it’s old, it’s a classic because it’s great. Participants in The Classic Slam are just as likely to perform the work of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost as they are to hear poems by Elizabeth Acevedo and Tupac Shakur. “We are so excited to be back in-person after holding the past two Classic Slams virtually,” said Diane Luby Lane, Founder of Get Lit. “This year’s event will bring together hundreds of students, many of whom will be participating in the competition for the first time.”

This year's Classic Slam is sponsored by VANS, We Rise LA, the Rosenthal Family Foundation, LA vs. HATE.

Check a video from original Get Lit Classic Slam, featuring youth poets from Southern California HERE

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@GetLitPoet   #ClassicSlam

April 23rd at ClassicSlam.org

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Media Requests:

Rachel Falikoff

Let’s Make News PR

rfalikoff@lmnpr.com

Check out Business Mogul's Spring "Power" issue, featuring an interview by our own Diane Luby Lane, who founded Get Lit in 2006. The interview talks about topics like Get Lit's foundation story, how poetry changed Diane's life, and the importance of creative education.

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If you're interested in purchasing a digital and/or print copy of the issue, visit the link at www.thebusinessmogul.com/magazine to place an order.

CherryPicks, the online reviews & recommendations site that amplifies the female critical voice by looking at film through a female lens, recently published a recommendation list by Get Lit founder Diane Luby Lane in honor of the Why I Rise poetry competition.  This op-ed, "Poetry in Motion...Pictures: 9 Film Recommendations Inspired by Poetry" features some of Diane's favorite films about poetry, including Dead Poet's Society, Poetic Justice, and- of course- Summertime featuring the Get Lit poets.

Read a snippet of the review below and check out all 9 of Diane's picks here.

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The remaining single glowing ember…is the vision or feeling that burns inside until it is expressed. Thank God for the porous page which has always been the best listener in the world. Poet Alice Walker says, “I gradually understand how poems are made…they are the love that spills out of the too full cup.” Where else can we share this “leftover love”? Onto the page. Through the barrel of a lens. There are countless examples of films that have used poetry to express the duende or the beauty/pain of the human experience, below are some of my favorites…

For this year’s Black History and Future Month, we are spotlighting our podcast Get Lit Minute with a selection of our favorite episodes that feature Black poets.  

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From iconic figures such as James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, to contemporary trailblazers Amanda Gorman and Eve. L. Ewing, Get Lit Minute is filled with the words of Black poets who inspire the work we do. In order to celebrate the talent that these poets have to offer, we are providing educators, students, and lovers of poetry with a curated collection of bite-sized podcasts for each school day this month!

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‍Click here to explore the day-by-day setlist of poets that we've handpicked just for you.

"You guys should check out Get Lit; it's an unbelievable program, and they are true artists."

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For the premiere of FX's final season of the acclaimed original show "Better Things," Pamala Adlon hosted a red carpet premiere party at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery that featured performances from Get Lit poets Dharma Lemon and Zoe Hare. After the performance, Dharma and Zoe even got a personal shoutout (and snaps!) from Pamala herself in her thank you speech.

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Pamala Adlon first discovered Get Lit years ago when her oldest daughter went through the program and Pamala chaperoned at the Classic Slam. This experience inspired the Better Things episode "Get Lit" (Season 3, Episode 11) that spotlights Get Lit's Classic Slam.

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Read a full article about the event here.

Poetry is growing in popularity and millions of people spanning the globe have a renewed passion for embracing the creativity, beauty, and art of poetry. Poetry has the power to heal and we make sense of the world through the human expression of writing and reading. Are you wondering: What does it take to become a successful poet? What is the best medium and venue to release your poetry? What are some techniques to improve or sharpen your skills? In this interview series about how to write powerful and evocative poetry, we are interviewing people who have a love for poetry and want to share their insights, and we will speak with emerging poets who want to learn more about poetry either to improve their own skills or learn how to read and interpret better. Here, we will also meet rising and successful poets who want to share their work or broaden their audience, as well as poetry and literature instructors.

As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Raul Herrera.

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To read the full article, please click HERE!

Amazon Smile

Shop via Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/) and select “Get Lit - Words Ignite” as your charity of choice. For every dollar you spend on Amazon Smile, Get Lit receives 5 cents. Simply log into your Amazon Prime account and shop via the Amazon Smile platform (https://smile.amazon.com/) on your desktop, tablet, or phone. In the top left corner of the site menu, you will see a tab that says “Supporting” and it will indicate if you are already supporting Get Lit or if you need to select the dropdown and add Get Lit as your charity of choice. 

Ralph’s/Kroger

You can support Get Lit via the Kroger Community Rewards program. This program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day. Simply link your Card to Get Lit - Words Ignite, and then all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Shopper's Card. 

How To Get Started:

1. Create a digital account.

A digital account is needed to participate in Kroger Community Rewards. If you already have a digital account, simply link your Shopper’s Card to your account so that all transactions apply toward the organization you choose.

2. Link your Card to an organization.

Selecting the organization that you wish to support is as simple as updating the Kroger Community Rewards selection on your digital account.

1. Sign in to your digital account.

2. Search for your organization here.

3. Enter the name or NPO number of the organization you wish to support.

4. Select the appropriate organization from the list and click “Save”.

Your selected organization will also display in the Kroger Community Rewards section of your account. If you need to review or revisit your organization, you can always do so under your Account details.

3. Your organization earns.

Any transactions moving forward using the Shopper’s Card number associated with your digital account will be applied to the program, at no added cost to you. Kroger donates annually to participating organizations based on your percentage of spending as it relates to the total spending associated with all participating Kroger Community Rewards organizations.

If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Service Center.