CATCHING UP WITH POP-UP ARTIST RONALD HARGROVE
Ronald Hargrove is an integral part of the NC poetry scene as a member of both the Piedmont Slam Team and the two time National Championship team, SlamCharlotte. Ronald captivated ArtQuest Studio visitors with his creative writing prompts during his residency, asking children and families “Why do we write?” and “What is the meaning of poetry?”. His open mic night performance during First Friday November 2016 brought together a variety of creative writers, poets and authors who shared their work with the community in The Gallery at GreenHill.
Since being our very first creative writer to participate in the Pop-Up Residency Program, Hargrove has definitely been keeping himself busy. Recently, Ronald has published a book of poetry called Krossisms, which you can find for sale here. He has also continued designing his Krosswordz Poet Wear clothing line, which after much interest and success is currently developing a line of sneakers that are for sale online.
Late last year, Ronald was involved in the Visual Poetry Walk, a community based arts project that pairs poets and artists to create site-specific sculpture in the Downtown Greensboro area. Ronald's poem, "Open Letter to my Sons", was accompanied with artwork created by him and displayed in the International Civil Rights Museum in downtown Greensboro.
Open Letter
Young Men,
I write this letter, not to apologize for the type of father I have been. This is
for the things I have missed.
This is for the things I have neglected to tell you, the questions I should have
answered, the moments we can't get back.
The code of the streets will convince you that you are indebted to the hood
when you have nothing left to give.
They will follow you in stores, you will fit the description. They will pepper
spray your notions of equality.
With the odds stacked against you since the days of your conception, you are
here for a reason.
Ronald is currently working on a new book and a screenplay, as well as exploring new writing opportunities. We are excited to see what he creates next!