Shawn Welcome is a Brooklyn, NY native but has lived in Orlando, FL since 1993. He has been actively engaged in community work since 2006, with the launch of a poetry and life skills program for youth offenders at 33rd St. Jail. That same year, he also founded “Diverse Word” at Dandelion Communitea Café, a weekly open mic poetry night which attracts not only poets, but singers, comedians, and rappers from all over the city in a celebration of self-expression.
Professionally, he has given himself to youth related area non-profit organizations including The Hope Community Center, Boys & Girls Club, Pg. 15, Frontline Outreach Community Center, and the Professional Opportunities Program for Students (POPS). He led and sponsored Oak Ridge High School’s poetry club.

Shawn authored and published “H20: Immersed in Verse” in 2013, written and performed NBA commercials for the Orlando Magic, and performed in countless faith-based functions. He currently serves as the Family Engagement Coordinator of “MVP Families” for the Polis Institute, a community engagement effort for academic success.

Orlando writers reading in Jacksonville are: Shawn Welcome, Tod Caviness, Jesse Bradley, and Peter Gordon.. Jacksonville writers hosting and reading are: Ben Atkinson and Darick Taylor.

Doors at 7. Free and open to the public. (Donations for the venue and writers accepted.)