The Poet – Venus Jones 

Award Recognition:

• Poet Laureate and BAJABA Griot Award, Jazz Line Institute, 2024
• WildSound Film Festival, “Best Animation,” Lil Red is Riding the Wrong Way in the Hood, 2024
• Poppy Jasper Intl. Film Festival, “Best Director”, Lil Red is Riding the Wrong Way in the Hood, 2024
• Portugal Indie Film Festival, “Best Animation” Lil Red is Riding the Wrong Way in the Hood, 2024
• Center for Cultural Innovation Grant for Lil Red is Riding the Wrong Way in the Hood, 2023
• Harlem Book Fair Honor – “Keeper of the Gate,” 2023
• Mosaic America Fellow and Grant Recipient for (R)evolutionary Healing 2019 to 2022
• Pushcart Nominee for the poem “The Elements,” 2019 – 2020
• Finalist for the Santa Clara Poet Laureate, 2019
• Youth Speaker University Scholarship Recipient 2018
• Multicultural Artist Leadership Institute, MALI 10 Fellow 2017-2018
• APCA Showcase Artist- 2017
• Black Pearl Award for Community Service, Tampa, FL 2015
• Featured Playwright in Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, Tampa, FL 2015

• Graduate Leader of the Year, Student Leadership and Mills of Color Awards 2014
• Ardella Mills Prize for Creative Non-Fiction, Honorable Mention, Oakland, CA 2014
• Langston Hughes Family Museum Book Endorsement for “Lyrics for Langston” 2012
• Over $25,000 in Scholarships for Creative Writing Graduate Studies, Mills College 2012
• Most Inspiring Solo Performance Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival 2012
• Nomination: Onyx Award Performing Arts 2009
• Nomination: Onyx Award Performing Arts 2006
• Poetry Slam Finalist: Austin International Poetry Festival 2004
• Third Place: The Artists Embassy International, San Francisco, CA 2002
• First Place: 2nd Annual Bay Area Spoken Word Contest, Tampa, FL 2002
• First Place: 1st Annual Bay Area Spoken Word Contest, Tampa, FL 2001
• First Place: Poetry Slam Joffrey’s, St. Petersburg, FL 2001

A sample list of notable partnerships and performances:

• Google
• LinkedIn
• Cisco
• Facebook
• Poetry Center San Jose
• KKUP
• Spoken Vizions Magazine
• Ms. Magazine
• Bus Boys and Poets
• Nuyorican Poetry Café
• Straz Center
• The Palladium
• Eckerd College
• Mills College
• De Anza College
• Mission College
• California State University
• University Santa Cruz
• San Francisco State University
• City College of San Francisco
• University of South Florida
• Hillsborough Community College
• University of Minnesota
• University of Tampa
• Pasco Hernando Community College
• Los Gatos High School
• Chamberlain High School
• Brandon High School
• Independent Day School
• Middleton High School
• Harker Middle School
• Benito Middle School
• Howard W. Blake School of the Arts
• Westchase Elementary
• Tampa Bay Tech
• Armwood High School
• Unity Church of Gainesville
• Booker High School
• WSLR & WMNF
• Aston Gardens
• Tampa Improv
• Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Tedx Tampa Bay
• St. Pete for Peace
• The Bridge
• Voices for Peace
• World Beat Cultural Center San Diego
• Bob Marley Festival
• Zora Neale Hurston Festival

Dated Performances

• Feature Poet, Juneteenth Celebration, Cisco- 2021
• Feature Poet, “May the 4th be With You,” Google – 2021
• Feature Poet, Tampa Bay TEDx – 2011 (https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/653)
• Feature Poet, The new age of Caregiving Symposium, Ruth Eckerd Hall – 2011
• Feature Poet, WMNF’s anniversary celebration, The Palladium – 2011
• Feature Poet, Voices for Peace, Straz Center – 2011
• Feature Poet, Nuyorican Poetry Cafe, New York – 2008
• Feature Poet: Got Jokes Improv Comedy Troupe – 2008
• Feature Poet, Hillsbourough Arts Council, Poetry Jam Facilitator –2006/07
• Feature Poet, Zora Neale Hurston Festival – 2008
• Feature Poet, Busboys and Poets, D.C. – 2007
• Feature Poet, WMNF’s Holiday Bazaar 2006 and 2007
• Feature Poet, Eckerd College Introduced Nikki Giovanni 2007
• Feature Poet, Creative Clay presents Folk Fest 2007
• Feature Poet, Artists and Writers presents Deep Carnivale – 2007
• Feature Poet, Community Tampa Bay Volunteer Recognition –2007
• Feature Poet, Youth Leadership Conference, University of Minnesota-Duluth –2007
• Feature Poet, Pasco Hernando Community College – 2007
• Feature Poet, Ms. Magazine third annual fundraising cruise –2007
• Feature Poet, On this Earth Benefit Concert Series -2006
• Feature Poet, Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists Griot Drum Awards—2005/06
• Feature Poet, Hillsborough County Dept. of Children’s Services Heritage Program 2005
• Feature Poet, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Symposium –2005
• Feature Poet, Finalist at the Austin International Poetry Slam, 2004
• Feature Poet, Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL, 2004
• Feature Poet, Delta Sigma Theta’s Literary Luncheon, 2003
• First Resident Poet, Sunday Forum, WMNF, 2003

Publications:

• “Why I Write” World Poetry Day Mini Anthology, Poets For Human Rights 2025.
• Scarlet’s Thorn, Venusian Publishing, 2024.
• Where the Light Enters You, Venusian Publishing, 2024.
• “Falcon”, Red Wheelbarrow, 2024.
• “Eye Make Up”, Caesura, 2023.
• “Plight” Black Fire This Time, anthology (Willow Books),2022.
• “Building Beyond the Burning”, Release Me, anthology (Greenwood Rising, LLC), 2021.
• “Is there courage in the coach?”, Choice magazine, 2020.
• “The Elements”, “For Earth and Heaven Sake,” “Silver Birches,” Sequoyah Cherokee River Journal, 2020.
• “Fly”, Galley Way, 2020
• “A Conversation with the Devil & Grim Reaper”, Semi-Finalist Engage Art, 2020.
• “She Loved us Fiercely,” African Voices Magazine, 2020.
• “In memory of the Miser,” Red Wheelbarrow, 2019.
• “Dear Broken Black Girl” and “She Rose,” She Rises, Volume 3. 2019.
• Kwanza: Living on Principle ebook, Venusian Publishing, 2018.
• “Holy Rubbish” and “I’m Sorry for Saying I’m Sorry”, Red Wheelbarrow, 2018.
• “Is Barack the Butler?”, Obama-Mentum: An Anthology of Transformational Poetry, 2016.
• “Bumper to Bumper on the Bridge”, Tiny Moments, 2016.
• “Life on Bailey St.” Lament for the Dead, 2015.
• “In Remembrance”, Whirlwind Magazine, 2015.
• “Blacker Than Thou”, “Kernel of Truth”, “Is Barack the Butler?” Reflections Magazine, 2015.
• “Telling Time,” Aleola Journal of Poetry and Art, 2015.
• “My Hang ups”, “Football and Feminism”, The Womanist, 2013.
• “Suffering in Silence”, SF Peace and Hope, 2013.
•  Lyrics for Langston, Venusian Publishing, 2012.
• Eating like there’s no tomorrow,” Poet Lore, 2010.
• Kwanzaa: 7 days, 7 principles album, Venusian Publishing, 2009.
• “Chasing Freedom”, Liberated Muse Volume I: How I Freed My Soul anthology, Outskirts Press, 2009.
• Polly Ticks album, Venusian Publishing, 2008.
• “Little Girl in Me” introduction of Nikki Giovanni, Eckerd College printed program, 2007.
• “Good Hair”, A Generation Defining Itself, anthology (M.W. Enterprises), 2007.
• “Gender Rules” appeared in A Time to Rhyme, anthology, 2006.
• “Amen” and “Poetic Soldier” appeared in Communication Line, 2006.
• She Rose, Venusian Publishing, 2006.
• Buffalo Soldiers ebook, Venusian Publishing, 2006.
• “Heavy,” for Good Night Sleep (Community Action Stops Abuse) printed program, 2005.
• “Adopted”, X Magazine, 2004.
• “The Candle”, “Death of a Soldier Part II”, Map of Austin Poetry / (MAP)
• Venus in Retrograde album, Venusian Publishing, 2004.
• “I Need a Man”, Underground Poetz, collaborative album, 2003.
• Venus to Earth album (A trip around the word), Venusian Publishing, 2003.