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Sarah Kay

Spoken-Word Poet

Sarah Kay
If I Should Have a Daughter - TED
Sarah Kay
Montauk - Grid 2012
Sarah
Sarah Kay
Sarah Kay
If I Should Have a Daughter - TED
Sarah Kay
Montauk - Grid 2012

Sarah Kay uses the power of spoken word to inspire creativity and self-empowerment in others. In her famous TED talk–a talk that inspired two standing ovations and has been seen by over seven million people online–she tells the story of her metamorphosis from a wide-eyed teenager soaking-in verse, to becoming a teacher who connects youth with the power of self-expression through her non-profit educational organization. A gifted artist and breathtaking performer, Sarah empowers audiences of any age and background to embrace words to find their voice.

Sarah is the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., an education organization that celebrates and inspires self-expression in youth through spoken-word poetry. Through her involvement with the organization, Sarah has taught spoken-word poetry to students of all ages, in classrooms and workshops all over the world. She is also a documentary filmmaker, playwright, singer, songwriter, photographer, and editor for Write Bloody Publishing, and holds a Master’s Degree in The Art of Teaching from Brown University, and an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Grinnell College.

Sarah has performed her poetry in venues across the United States, including the Lincoln Center, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the United Nations, where she was a featured performer for the launch of the 2004 World Youth Report. Her international credits include the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, India, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, France, and Singapore.

She is the author of the book B, which was ranked the number one poetry title on Amazon.com, The Type, and All Our Wild Wonder. Her newest work, No Matter The Wreckage, is an American poetry bestseller. Her work can also be found in literary journals, such as Foundling Review, Damselfly Press, decomP, the Literary Bohemian, and Pear Noir!

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

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Client reviews

  • Sarah was nothing short of breathtaking. She is so gracious and humble and powerful at the same time. Every single minute of her talk was riveting. I have never seen a group of adults hang on every word a speaker is saying like I saw Saturday night. So many folks, parents and faculty/staff alike, are marveling at how she was able to touch so many disparate people in such a personal way. She was prompt, professional and an exceedingly good listener. Everything I discussed with her months ago in terms of our theme for the year and what I hoped she could weave into her talk, she did in a seamless and beautiful way.

  • I wanted to send a quick note of thanks for all your help in arranging Sarah’s presence at our Leaders Summit yesterday. She was breathtaking and jaw dropping. Please extend our sincere gratitude to her, the audience was left speechless and rose to their feet in ovation. We hope she enjoyed her time with us and look forward to working with you all again in the near future.

  • Spoken Word artist Sarah Kay lit up TED with this extraordinary talk + performance.

  • She put a lot of thought into her presentation—and you could have heard a pin drop during her time on stage.  And she is just a delight to be around.  This community will have her back, I’m sure.

  • Sarah Kay’s visit to Carleton College last Friday was outstanding!  Our audience was much larger than we typically have for our weekly convocations, and the conclusion of her presentation brought a rousing standing ovation.  Sarah was very generous with her time in talking to eager students, and her evening performance with the Carleton Slam Poetry Collective was a huge hit.  Thanks for all your help in making this visit possible.

  • Sarah shines. Her wide-ranging performance captivated students and faculty – those new to her work and those who know her well. Her workshops are solid – filled with poetry, insight, and the tools writers need to get going. Sarah’s visit was an amazing achievement of poetic brilliance and stamina… an energetic performance, two workshops, a radio interview, and more. A day with Sarah Kay reminded me of poetry’s power to help us make sense of our lives, to see the world in a new way.

  • You don’t have to be old to be wise. One of the wisest talks of the event was by the youngest speaker, 22-year-old slam poet Sarah Kay, who showed how the doors of self-expression are available to everyone.

  • Reminding us of the role of the arts in this society, Kay’s talk provides us with a fresh and positive perspective that seems crucial in light of recent catastrophic events.

  • Sarah Kay’s event on Friday night was wonderfully successful, and it was exactly what we had hoped. She is as personable as she is talented, and her performance was very well received. We had 100 people attend, and the “meet and greet” following the her performance was popular too.

  • Please extend our heartfelt thanks to Sarah for being part of our 2nd Independent Matters at the NAIS Annual Conference. Not only was her message received and appreciated, but many attendees and staff are still talking about the inspiration she brought. Her name was repeated to me from the moment she finished her session, with attendees flocking to tell her how inspired they were all the way to the airport where one person who had attended the show told me that he was overwhelmed and nothing short of amazed while listening to her. This was a huge success and we are grateful to her for being part of this general session. We appreciate the apparent time and thoughtfulness she put into preparing her remarks to engage our audience.

  • Sarah Kay was amazing! We didn’t know how this audience would receive someone so unexpected at this event. The feedback has been wonderful. One comment was “How did someone think of inviting a poet? Brilliant.” It may not have seemed “brilliant” if it wasn’t Sarah Kay. It was truly our pleasure to have her as one of our guest speakers.

  • Sarah was a delight! HUGE SUCCESS and an inspiring way to close our women’s conference. Not surprising, she moved the audience to tears. She was very warm, low maintenance, poised and her talent shone through. Of course I am not telling you anything you don’t already know. Personally, I had the good fortune of spending the evening with her and having dinner. It was lots of fun. I’ll definitely be looking forward to her return to CA and the opportunity to introduce my daughter to her

  • Everything went amazingly. Her performance was unbelievable! She is just such an engaging, talented, and beautiful person. The crowd really loved her and it was so quiet during her performance you could hear a pin drop. Every seat was filled and over 200+ people came; some students even came from Rutgers, and Wooster, Mass. I really am speechless. It was just fantastic. Thank you for this opportunity, it’s a night we won’t forget.

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