We’re proud to announce that the Poetry Business Network, through The Poet Life, has created three NO Menthol Poetry Contests for our client African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC). These contests are part of a national effort to use poetry as public health advocacy—and they represent the kind of long-term opportunities poets can create when art meets infrastructure. 📍 UPCOMING CONTEST DATES - Lexington, KY — April 4 - Orangeburg, SC — April 9 - Washington, DC — April 10 💰 Cash prizes 🎤 Live audiences 🎓 All ages welcome 🧠 WHY THIS MATTERS (READ THIS CAREFULLY) These contests didn’t happen by accident. They happened because The Poet Life: - Positioned poetry as a service - Aligned our work with a real-world issue - Built trust with organizations doing meaningful work - Created something fundable, repeatable, and scalable This is what it looks like when poetry moves beyond expression and into impact, partnership, and paid opportunity. 🚬 THE NO MENTHOL CAUSE (IN BRIEF) Menthol cigarettes have been intentionally marketed to Black communities for decades, contributing to: - higher addiction rates - increased heart disease - increased cancer risk - generational health disparities Organizations like AATCLC are working to: - educate communities - advocate for policy change - protect future generations Poetry becomes powerful here because it: - humanizes data - tells stories statistics can’t - reaches people emotionally, not just intellectually ✍🏾 A CHALLENGE TO THE POETS IN THIS NETWORK Don’t just ask: “How do I get on a stage?” Start asking: “What causes need storytellers?” “What organizations need culture?” “How can my poetry serve something bigger?” These contests are proof that: - poetry belongs in public health - poetry belongs in advocacy - poetry belongs in funded campaigns - poetry belongs in rooms that matter 📣 GET INVOLVED Whether you: - compete - attend - support - study how this was built