Teaching and community
Dead center. Surrounded by young people. Simply listening.
This is where Najee thrives. Since 2012 he has led poetry and performance workshops with young people in classrooms, New York City jails, juvenile justice facilities and community organizations. Working mostly with teens and young adults, he uses the workshop to nurture youth voices and reimagine poems as problem-solvers, a source of activism and a space for freedom.
I firmly believe, with full permission to explore imagination and creativity, poetry can bridge the gap between young people and the change-agents they’re destined to be.
Najee Omar
Where he has taught
- Brooklyn Academy of Music: Brooklyn Reads, Black Male Achievement Program, Word. Sound. Power.
- Bronx Academy of Letters, Frederick Douglass Academy III, Eagle Academy for Young Men II
- Rikers Island, and Crossroads and Horizon Juvenile Centers
- Brownsville Community Justice Center, Good Shepherd Services, CASES, Center for Court Alternatives
- Academy for Young Writers, with the Center for the Humanities at CUNY
Workshops and talks
- “The Poetics of Liberation,” The Center for the Humanities, CUNY
- “I Got the Keys: Engaging Youth in the Poetry Workshop,” Poetry Incubator, Chicago
- “Sanctuary: Investigating the Poem as a Source of Resistance,” Groundswell
- “Roots of Resistance: Using Arts as Activism,” Beyond the Bars, Center for Justice
- Poetry in the Park writing workshops, Fort Greene Park, 2024 and 2025
Bring Spark House to your school
Mural residencies and spoken word showcases for New York City schools.