“Smith also is affiliated with A.W.O.L. (All Walks of Life) and is a co-founder of the W.O.R.D. (Way of Real Discovery) poetry group at Savannah State University. “They let people know there is a lot of talent in Savannah,” he says. Smith submitted six manuscripts to Essence. “I got an e-mail from Cynthia Gordon, the editor of Essence, congratulating me for having a poem selected for publication,” ” - Linda Sickler

“I joined an organization called “W.O.R.D” which stands for Way of Real Discovery. This organization allowed artists of all kinds to build in artist development, songwriting skills and performing tactics. When I joined this organization, I was surrounded by like-minded individuals that pushed eachother to be better artist. I started to find myself as an artist here and build my sound and support base.” - Asia Adisa

“Once I made my way to college, I stumbled across a nonprofit organization that focused on developing student artists through poetry, hip hop and song (W.O.R.D inc.). I became the president of this organization and continued to hone my skills. The founder Jon Lattimore and I Taught poetry and creative self-expression to many children as community service and the experience was so fulfilling.” - Wes Lee The Wordsmith

“More than a means of self-expression, more than performance art, and certainly more than mere entertainment, spoken word is a form of direct communication between artist and audience.” - Bill DeYoung