Join us in NYC!
10-Year Celebration at Poets House, New York City
We are stopping in NYC at Poets House to continue our 10 Year celebration. Pre-pandemic we had event in NYC quarterly and also supported many arts events and initiatives there with our dope NYC community. People from all over the US flew in and some people even came from as far as New Zealand to come spit their ish on our stage.
Since the pandemic, we have had lots of high moments and learning moments as a company, BUT as Celie said, “Dear Gawd, I’m here!” WE STILL HERE.
Please join us on May 30th 230-530. We will have a chat with the founder, a panel of poets + artists that include our recently published fam Motherboomer and Enam Noeki. More of our crew are TBA. We will have a writing workshop to get the creatives juices flowing and wrap everything up with an open mic where we will all talk that talk. Light refreshments will also be served.
Before the pandemic, Genre: Urban Arts held quarterly events in New York City that drew writers, poets, and artists from across the country and as far as New Zealand. People flew in. People performed. People found community they had been looking for without knowing what to call it. Then the world stopped, and so did the events.
On Saturday, May 30, 2026, Genre: Urban Arts returns to New York City for its 10th anniversary celebration at Poets House. This is not just a party. It is a homecoming, a milestone, and a first look at what is coming next for an organization that has spent a decade building something real.
“We are still here. Ten years of high moments and learning moments, and we are still here.” Nakeysha Roberts Washington, Founder, Genre: Urban Arts
The afternoon will bring together the founder, recently published Genre: Urban Arts authors, long-time collaborators, and the community that has made this organization what it is. Expect honest conversation, new work, writing, performance, and the particular energy of a room full of people who all believe that creativity is divinity.
The event also marks the first public announcement of What the City Holds: Things We Made Here, a documentary film in production built from years of video and written interviews with Milwaukee artists and community leaders, targeting a 2027 release.
The Program
01 Founder Interview: A candid conversation with Nakeysha Roberts Washington on ten years of Genre: Urban Arts and what comes next.
02 Author + Artist Panel: A conversation with recently published GUA authors and long-time collaborators on creative practice and community.
03 Writing Workshop: Facilitated by Nakeysha Roberts Washington. Come ready to write.
04 Open Mic: The stage is open. Sign up at the door and bring your work, your voice, or your presence.
05 Light Refreshments: Because community is also fed.
Current Publications
The PATH by Motherboomer illustrated by Enam Noeki
Embark on a captivating journey through The PATH, a bold blend of memoir, storytelling through poetry, and comic book art. This unique work follows the author’s teenage years and young adulthood, chronicling adventures on the PATH train to Harlem, the joys and complexities of family, and the bittersweet lessons of first relationships.
Along the way, readers meet unforgettable characters: the enigmatic Mr. Waves, the unyielding Moms, the alluring yet complicated Preacher’s Son, and an aunt who serves as both guide and rebel. Set against the backdrop of the 1980s, the narrative pulses with cultural touchstones like Angela Davis and Black Power, fashion trends, emerging technology, and the soundtrack of a generation offers an immersive glimpse into a transformative era.
Visually engaging with its integration of comic book art, The PATH delivers an innovative reading experience that bridges laughter, love, loss, and self-discovery. It is a book that speaks across generations, inviting readers to reflect on where they come from, who they are, and the journeys that shape us all.
Motherboomer is a poet, visual storyteller, and documentarian of life. She works to retell memorable stories of her own experience and others, giving them life once again —vividly.
ISBN: 9798218880071
7.5×12 in
My Daddy Never Taught Me How to Write a Love Song is a lyrical exploration of love through the eyes of a Black father raising a Black daughter. Donnie D. Moreland Jr reflects on the men who came before him, men who taught him strength and survival, but struggled to express love. This debut collection becomes both a reckoning and a revelation, unfolding as an introspective journey where the roles of father, son, and Black man intersect in a search to define love. Before he can fully answer what love is, the author must first confront all the ways he has experienced what love is not. The result is a tender and vulnerable meditation on legacy, healing, and the radical work of learning to love with intention and clarity.
Orders will begin shipping on May 31st. Join us at CLASS in Houston for the book opening— More details TBA. Register for our newsletter to stay tuned.
This is a compilation of typewritten by Nakeysha that was recently exhibited in March of 2025. The works are printed on 100lb cardstock, hand bound with wool thread. 4×6 in, 10 pages.
• 50% cotton, 50% polyester
• Pre-shrunk
• Classic fit with no center crease
• 1x1 athletic rib knit collar with spandex
• Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling
• Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem
• 50% cotton, 50% polyester
• Pre-shrunk
• Classic fit with no center crease
• 1x1 athletic rib knit collar with spandex
• Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling
• Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem
• 50% cotton, 50% polyester
• Pre-shrunk
• Classic fit with no center crease
• 1x1 athletic rib knit collar with spandex
• Air-jet spun yarn with a soft feel and reduced pilling
• Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem
Register for our Genre: Young Creatives Program.
GENRE: URBAN ARTS
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ABOUT US
Genre: Urban Arts has been in operation since 2016.Creatives can grow their skills through workshops and courses, become published on our site or in one of our gorgeously polished print publications, showcase art and multidisciplinary works through exhibitions curated and designed by our team, & flex their performance skills at one of our pop-up events.
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BLOG
Writing and art from Genre’s Revolutionary Art Critics and Culture writers as well as collaborators internationally.
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BOOKS
We have several print magazines + anthologies. View our collection here.
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CLOTHING
We have some cool drip.
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Art
Purchase original art and prints from artists we manage.
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Genre's Revolutionary Culture + Art Criticism Residency
This residency cultivates and supports BIPOC art critics, art writers, and culture commentators as they work to develop their voices and gift their perspectives to the creative community.
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Education
:earn about some of our projects or book us!