Writin’ Dirty:
Southern Lyricism and Storytelling
There’s something special about the way pen meets page down bottom. As a former Nasir Jones Fellow with Harvard University’s Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute, poet and educator Dasan Ahanu understands this truth better than most. Dasan was chosen as the 2023 Piedmont Laureate. Through his work, service projects, and appointments, Dasan has shown incredible commitment to his home state, noting the creative artistry embedded in the fabric of North Carolina. He is the Rothwell Mellon Program Director for Creative Futures with Carolina Performing Arts. A respected recording artist, Dasan has collaborated with many Jazz, Soul, and Hip-Hop artists in North Carolina. He released his most recent album, Words, Rhythms, and Melodies in 2021. He is a visiting professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching courses on Hip-Hop and Black culture.
The 2023 Piedmont Laureate Dasan Ahanu has been called “a poet’s poet” and “the Triangle’s leading light” of the art form.
