Project Description

Poet, recycle/up-cycle artist, fashion designer, dancer, aspiring bass player, and Urbana Poet Laureate, Ja Nelle Davenport-Pleasure has immersed herself in the arts for more than three decades. She has engaged audiences throughout the United States and internationally and strives to help people of all ages to express themselves creatively through writing, spoken word, music, dance, and other art forms. She shares her gifts and passions with all in her community in hopes of building a brighter tomorrow.

Ja Nelle has written two books of poetry, a chapbook titled Eyes Open and her second Splitting 650. Her third book Breathe will be out this summer. She is a member of the Galaxy of Poets group that works to bring awareness and support to mental health through the art of words. She performs at Soul on Sunday, a group that enriches the poetry and music scene in Urbana. She joined forces with Urbana’s previous Poet Laureate, Ashanti Files to host workshops for the Writers of Oya, and performed alongside Will Reger, Urbana’s first Poet Laureate, in this year’s Central Illinois Rivers in Art and Poetry event. Davenport-Pleasure was selected as the 2020 Artist Ace Awards winner and also founded Cinderella/Cinderfella, a ballroom dance troupe for children. She has performed her poetry at SPEAK Café, Pygmalion, Iron Post, and many other events in Urbana.