Tony Keith, Jr. and Mel Cort share the paths they have walked to ensure understanding of their unstated identities. Lacking windows or mirrors for their historically marginalized identities, poetry created an avenue to express, explore, understand, and speak these identifiers.

Bio
Anthony (Tony) Keith, Jr., PhD. is a Black American gay poet, spoken word artist, and Hip-Hop educational leader from Washington, D.C. He is the author of the debut young adult memoir in verse “How the Boogeyman Became a Poet” and the young adult poetry collection “Knucklehead,” forthcoming from Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. His feature performances include John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington National Cathedral, and the African Alliance Community Center in Arusha, Tanzania. Tony’s writings appear in the Journal of Negro Education, Equity & Excellence in Education and the Journal of Black Masculinity, and many others. A multi-year fellow of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Tony is the founder and CEO of Ed Emcee Academy, an entrepreneurial extension of his award-winning dissertation research about Hip-Hop culture and leadership for racial equity in American education. He holds a Ph.D. in education from George Mason University and lives with his husband, Harry Christian III, and their dog, Sage, in his DC hometown.

Mel Cort, a 'Threepeat' Third Space guest, returns to co-host this episode. Mel is a youth poet at Mercersburg Academy, specializing in Queer and disabled storytelling. They love performing, bookbinding, DEI work, and befriending cats.