Named a 2005 MacArthur Fellow, President Obama’s first appointment to the National Council on the Arts and member of President Biden’s Arts Policy Committee, Aaron P. Dworkin is former dean and current Professor of Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Aaron is a best-selling writer and poetjournalist having authored his poetry collections, The Poetjournalist and They Said I Wasn’t Really Black, along with other books including two memoirs, a children’s book, science-fiction novel and The Entrepreneurial Artist: Lessons from Highly Successful Creatives. Aaron founded the Institute for Poetjournalism and originated the term “poetjournalism” which is defined as “the research, creation, and distribution of writing that evokes an emotional connection to news related subjects or other relevant ideas utilizing elements of sound, meter, rhythm and/or creative illustration.” He serves as Poetjournalist-in-Residence of the City of Ann Arbor’s Bicentennial, the Rodham Institute, Fisher Foundation, Wright Museum of African-American History, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Grantmakers in the Arts, Ovation TV and Shar Music. Hailed by critics as “powerful,” “stirring,” “passionate and heroic,” and “a tour de force,” Aaron has performed his poetry as a prominent spoken-word artist including Carnegie Hall, Galapagos Theater in New York, Harvard University, Chautauqua, University of Michigan, Minneapolis Orchestra Hall, NJPAC and the Wright Museum and Orchestra Hall in Detroit amongst others and is a member of the Academy of American Poets. He has been featured on The Today Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Jet Magazine and named one of Newsweek’s “15 People Who Make America Great.” His Emmy award-winning film An American Prophecy was honored by numerous festivals, while his digital art project, Fractured History, has exhibited to rave reviews.
