Rhonda's career in poetry

Rhonda Welsh displaying her talents

Detroit City has grown its fair share of artists and performers and Rhonda Welsh is a rare flower among them. Rhonda has a graceful delivery with her words that draws immediate attention evoking a sense of refinement and artistry . Rhonda is a poet, performer and educator seeking to break the dividing lines in poetry. Rhonda’s sense of magnificence and artful splendor in the crafting of her words combined with her natural sense of style is uncanny.
“If I’m writing, I want it to translate well on the page and on the stage,” said Rhonda. She feels that poets are divided unnecessarily into categories such as slam poet, literary poets and the club poet. Poetry has gone through many transformations throughout the ages but ultimately it is held together through the oral tradition and the written and spoken word no matter what ‘style’ it is expressed in.
Rhonda has delved into the art of poetry and branched out with her creativity to teach and inspire. She currently works through Math Corps at Wayne State University as a poetry/creative writing teacher. Math Corps is a mentoring program that Brings Detroit middle and high school students together in a university setting.
Rhonda experienced the satisfaction of teaching for the first time when she discovered how children were moved to open up creatively and express themselves in the process of writing. Rhonda’s nine-year old niece Keri Hunter who is a part of her class enjoys writing Haiku poetry.
When Rhonda first began sprouting seeds of poetry she did not expect it to turn into a life-long pursuit. What started as a side hobby has been cultivated into a passionate career.
Rhonda has been a performing poet for five years and is an advocate for age appropriate poetry. She feels the subject matter should match the demographic of the audience. She has been inspired by many poetical greats including Gil Scott Heron, Nicki Giovanni and Langston Hughes. Rhonda is enthralled about the transcendent connection she has uncovered through poetry and music. Rhonda continues her journey into the vast and unpredictable land of poetry with an open heart and mind.
In 2006 Rhonda released a CD titled “I Saw Myself” and is currently writing a book titled “Red Earth Legacy” referring to her family’s Georgia roots. Rhonda cultivates awareness of poetry among all generations with grace and purpose. Her poetry and upbringing is spiritually based and you can find her performing at local churches, poetry events and exhibitions.
She currently is a writer in residence for the InsideOut Literary Arts Project in Detroit.
Rhonda became a freelance writer for the Detroit Cultural Examiner two weeks ago.

Visit Rhonda’s website at www.rhondawelsh.com

Purchase Rhonda’s CD “I Saw Myself” at www.cdbaby.com/cd/rhondawelsh