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Our first guest artist for Public Record is Josephus Thompson III. Josephus is a poet, teacher and lecturer who founded The Poetry Project, where he works in both the educational and corporate setting focusing on “Education through Correlation." He uses poetry as a catalyst for literacy, leadership and service. The Host of 90.1FM’s The Poetry Café, his voice is heard weekly over the airwaves as he showcases talented artists from all over the world in the genres of poetry, hip-hop, and R&B to name a few. The show also tours nationally and can now be seen on Amazon Prime. He has performed for Oprah, opened for Kanye West and Floetry, shared stages with The Last Poets, traveled to Australia, London, Seoul, and South Africa as well as back and forth across the United States sharing his gift.

In the interview, Josephus explores his foundations in art, how he moved from industrial engineering to public speaking and poetry, and the multitude of roles he takes on every day.

You can find more information about Josephus as well as booking information here: 

https://www.josephusiii.com/ 

Twitter and IG: @Josephusiii and @thepoetrycafe

FB: The Poetry Cafe

00:00 Introduction

01:51 Background

06:50 Influences

09:16 Current Work

15:59 Effects of the Pandemic

22:34 What is hard about making art?

25:15 Industrial Engineering and Art

28:24 The Purpose of Making Art

29:39 The Artist's Role in Society

30:43 Question about Questions