User:WrittenRiot/Faylita Hicks

Since the beginning of her career in 2003, Faylita Hicks and her riveting performances have made her one of the top Spoken Word Artists in the country today. The eldest of four in her single parent home and a First Generation college graduate, the formerly “at-risk” student has witnessed profound success within the Spoken Word community. In 2007 she won her first spot on the Austin Neo Soul Poetry Slam Team and represented the flourishing collective at the National Poetry Slam. Later that same year, she would become a top five finalist in the $10,000 online Poetry Slam at www.famecast.com, the first female to do so in the three seasons of the program. In 2008, she would be honored at the Austin Toros Heritage Night Half time show for her individual achievement in the community through her art. She would also return to Austin Neo Soul Poetry Slam team that May and that fall she would release her first Spoken Word Album, The Experience of This Black Woman. The Experience would also be the name of her first tour with friend and fellow poet Michelle Desiree in January 2009. The two women would perform in several cities including Las Vegas, where they featured at the infamous Caesar’s Palace in the Poetry Club. A few months later, she became the first female champion at the historical Austin Poetry Slam and in so doing became the first person to represent both Austin city slam teams at the national event. That same year, several of her poems won awards and were published in This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers’ Bible Quilt and Other Pieces, the Austin International Poetry Festival’s Annual Anthology di-verse-city, and the Austin American-Statesman’s Poetry Slam. In March 2009, she became the first Austin Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion and went on to represent the city at the nation WOWPS individual competition. She ranked 10th out of 72 women from around the world and performed on their finals stage.

That fall Faylita founded her first company, A Poet’s Tribe Collective, to encourage the growth of individual artists and to promote the artist’s involvement in the community. She champions a number of social and global issues including: Domestic Abuse, Cancer Research, Human Rights, LGBT rights, Homelessness and Human Trafficking. She is an alumni member of the national service organization, Gamma Sigma Sigma.

Faylita’s innovative performances have made her a crowd favorite in the Austin community. She has blended great writing with energetic and creative performances, letting her brilliant words come to life on the stage. Since 2003, she has worked alongside a number of noted Spoken Word Artists and developed her craft under the excellent mentorship of the Neo Soul Collective and the Austin Poetry Slam. In 2009, she opened for the internationally acclaimed band R.IS.E. in Austin,TX. Her repertoire contains diverse subject matter; poems about true love, domestic abuse, self confidence, human trafficking, hip hop and so on. She currently lives in San Marcos, Texas. She was recently accepted to the MFA Creative Writing Program at Texas State University-San Marcos."