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DocuSign Envelope ID: CF1E5821-41D3-41 CA-BE86-7063BD8D1470 <br /> In 2008, he claimed the Lake Eden Arts Festival slam title over several national champions and placed 14th in an <br /> international field at the Individual World Poetry Slam. <br /> But despite his full trophy case,he hasn't participated in slams since 2010.Its a common situation for people who <br /> excel in their fields.You work hard,hone your skills and garner attention. <br /> To make a living,you parlay that success into some teaching gigs,which are such a revelation for arts-starved <br /> students that your workshops become high-demand.You find yourself writing lesson plans,grant applications and <br /> curricula—but not many poems. <br /> After helping Sacrificial Poets grow into an influential pedagogical platform,Smego craves new students,different <br /> racial dynamics,communities with different issues and,most of all,a lot more poetry. <br /> "Right now I live literally a block away from the apartments I grew up in [on Morreene Road in Durham],"he says. <br /> "So a lot of the things I talk about,like my childhood and my perspectives on race and class and gender as it <br /> relates to growing up in a single-mother household,all that has formed my voice.I'm excited to see how that <br /> changes once I'm in a new place." <br /> Smego will continue to teach in Los Angeles,but he's looking forward to teaching less in order to do more creative <br /> work. He's writing a one-person show and admits that he would love to dabble in front of a camera,too. <br /> Sacrificial Poets as a local institution will go on as usual—insofar as that's possible without Smego,whose departure marks an organizational turn into middle age. <br /> With hordes more artists,filmmakers,poets and performers than the Triangle, Los Angeles represents infinite <br /> possibility to Smego. <br /> is <br /> "I've had some amazing mentors and I'm feeling like I'm ready for the next stage of learning,"Smego says."I want <br /> to grow more as an educator.And as a solo artist,I'm excited about spreading my wings to see what I can do." <br /> "And,"he adds,laughing,"no polar vortex for me this winter." <br /> I== <br />