Culver City Observer | Children’s Bureau Hosts Celebrity Poet Panel

Children’s Bureau, a nonprofit leader in child abuse prevention and treatment in Southern California, will be hosting a conversation between famed authors Michael Warr and Tucker Smallwood in celebration of Black History Month on Monday, February 28th at 3:30PM.

Michael Warr is an award-winning poet and the Poetry Editor for the publication Of Poetry & Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin. Tucker Smallwood is an actor and vocalist with over 500 credits, as well as the author of Return to Eden. The conversation will be moderated by Monica Lee Copeland, a poet and writer who authored the poetry collection Back to Concrete: On Home, Love, Sisters, and Struggle. Copeland also currently serves as the Chief Development Officer for the agency.

Together they will discuss their individual experiences as Black authors, dive into their writing processes and inspirations, and perform pieces of their work.

“These men are heroes to me. Michael Warr is a literary master weaving words about the black experience since We are the Black Boy (1991) when he eloquently stated “his former breathing valuable” capturing the sentiment now expressed in the Black Lives Matter movement. Tucker Smallwood is a familiar face and voice to many Americans, especially black Americans. There was a time when he had television shows playing on all three major networks each week, but he is much more than an actor. Tucker directs, sings, writes, speaks Vietnamese, commanded an Advisory team in the Vietnam war, and speaks eloquently about the challenges and beauty of the black experience,” shared Monica Lee Copeland.

Children’s Bureau has made a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both within the organization and the communities they serve as they reshape how child and family well-being are addressed for all members of our community. The agency is excited to host this event to continue inspiring and educating the employees, leadership, and public on the countless contributions of Black Americans.

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