Jaylene Clark Owens

Jaylene (jay-LEEN) Clark Owens is a Philly resident from Harlem, NY. She is a highly acclaimed poet, as well as an AUDELCO (uh-DELL-co) and Barrymore Award winning actress. Jaylene is proudly an alum of the prestigious theatre-in-verse BARS Workshop at the Public Theater, led by Rafael (ra-fa-ELL) Casal (cah-SAAL) and Daveed (Dah-VEED) Diggs. Her debut book of poetry, AfroPoetic, is available, along with other merch, on her website, JayleneClarkOwens.com. Jaylene’s acting abilities earned her a place in The Wilma Theater’s resident acting company, HotHouse. She is also a co-host for the video podcast, #PoppaPank (PA-pa PANK), with fellow actor, Justin Jain. Jaylene aims to captivate, motivate, and educate people with her poetry.

I am from, and was raised in, Harlem, New York City. Being from Harlem influences my work because I love to talk about my home and my experiences living in Harlem. The gentrification that is taking place there led me to write a play with three other women called, "Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale," which weaves theatre, spoken word poetry, music, and more to talk about the changes to our community. Being from New York City is laced throughout my voice, how I speak, how I sound, and that is evident in my work. Being from Harlem also has given me a strong pride in my Black culture and I often use my work to talk about, celebrate, and educate others on, the Black experience.

I began writing poetry out of necessity. It was a way to express myself and release any emotions that were building. I remember being in middle school and writing spoken word poems about boys, and other pre-teen subjects, although I didn't know it was called "spoken word" at the time. Poetry definitely gives me a space to express myself authentically because I get to perform my words, my thoughts, in my voice. I don't have to pretend to be anything that I am not in my poetry. I can be unapologetically me through my poetry, which is how I aim to be in life as well

Link to Afro Poetic: https://www.jayleneclarkowens.com/shop

Link to info on Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale: http://www.harlemkwproject.com