Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kenyatta Rogers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kenyatta, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I do believe in being a life-long learner, although I had to be on in order to appreciate that. While I learned to write as a child, my agency of words changed and developed as I got older. Being a writer is hard even though writing is a skill that most people have. But it’s the agency of language and ability to invoke emotion with words that is the most difficult.

I had to learn to be a good communicator in all aspects of my life not just written. People are not always in front of me to talk to so I had to learn to transfer the gift of gab to the page and I can’t even really say I had the gift of gab. In most cases I’m relatively introverted and don’t have a lot to say unless spoken too.

Schooling helped some for sure, pursuing my undergrad in English and getting my MFA did contribute. It put me in touch with people who had a variety of ways communicating, different dialects and tonalities different from what I was used to. I had to learn to reach an audience more broadly. To be honest a much as school was a starting point, I really learned my craft from other writers, Cave Canem was one of the best literary experiences of my life. I met life long friends who were into books, writers, stories and general art making for the sake of art making. This was never about money, but expression and creation.

Also doing Poems While You Wait in Chicago, attending and participating at readings, planning classes when I began teaching. All of those things contributed to me learning my craft. But also I must say, being reflective. Reevaluating why I was making the choices I was making in my work and mostly in the end, does it bring me joy.

I’ll continue to learn craft, it’s always evolving and changing as I evolve, age and change. I need to continue to listen to the poem, listen to the work and in the end listen to my heart.

Kenyatta, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I always loved storytelling. Loved anthology series, Goosebumps, Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I started out mimicking the things I was reading and watching, which in the 80s and 90s were horror, spooky, and the odd and unusual.

This was off and on for me, but mostly on. In high school I would always take the option to do words stuff as opposed to test if I could. “Write short story or take a multiple choice test,” I was probably going to write the story. I figured if I didn’t know an answer I could explain my rational a bit and that may at least get me some points. But in high school we had a poetry unit in 11th grade. I took to it like a fly to shit and thought maybe doing this poetry thing is the way to go. I was an impatient prose writer anyways, I had not patience for building a plot, or character development, I was trying to get to the grit and meat of it all and I thought poetry would open the door for me to do that easier.

Come to find out writing poetry is just as strenuous, but I appreciated the freedom to make the language mine more and I could just write on a moment in time without having to build up to it. It almost felt like writing vignettes. I go to college kind of on a whim, because I never saw my say as an academic or collegiate material. But I applied on a dare and got in and figured I shouldn’t flounder the opportunity. I studied broadcasting at first because even though Ioved writing I didn’t want to teach high school and needed a job, I figured I could still write on the side. Anyways to make a long story short, I was taking Creative Writing classes as an elective and going to poetry readings on campus and another professor approached me to meet with them. When we met they opened up this door, I didn’t know before. Study poetry, try for another degree, but most importantly she saw skill in me as a writer. She was a complete stranger to me but took the time to reinforce maybe something that I already knew. That I should write.

So years later here I am. I run a Creative Writing Program at a public arts High School in Chicago (something I had tried to avoid doing, I slide into very easily and to be honest the end goal was to talk with people about poetry anyways, just so happens they’re teeenagers, but we’re still talking and writing poetry). I teach on occasion at StoryStudio Chicago, I co-host the Sunday Reading Series with my friend Simon Muence and I do other freelance speaking engagements and teaching. I also am a Lead Teacher for the Poetry Foundation’s Summer Teacher Institute. Through all of this, I’m still writing the poems, kind of expanded into essay a bit to, but I’m diligently trying to cultivate space for other creative minds in ways that space was carved out for me.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I feel like that cards were stacked against me a lot. I wanted to be a college professor but knew I had lots of steps to take to get there and things to overcome.

I’m a first generation college student, not only that but I have an advanced degree on top of that. I moved to a different state with $200 and a car payment I couldn’t meet. I’m a black male educator and that in and of itself is an anomaly. I wasn’t always the best student but I sacrificed jobs and relationships with the ultimate end goal “being a writer and teacher.” I have student loan debt I can’t stand to think about, but I made that sacrifice.

I didn’t want to be an old man sitting in my rocking chair spiteful I didn’t at least try. For me it was like I gotta at least try, if I fail ok, but I gotta at least know I did my best and if I can help it wont’ be on me if things fall through.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew that fully funded MFA Programs existed. I kind of applied very blindly. I considered places I wouldn’t mind living, but I went into my MFA expecting it to be like undergrad which was “well I guess I’ll get some loans.” The thought of funding didn’t even cross my mind.

Now would that had changed my outcome of going to Columbia College Chicago, I don’t know maybe maybe not. No regrets on that decision because giving the decisions and choices I had I for sure think it was the best one. But I may have at least vouched for myself while there a bit too to look into how they can best assist me, I never even thought to ask. Sometimes an ask goes a long way.

Contact Info:

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Image Credits
Keith S. Wilson