Writin Dirty: Southern Slang

​There’s something special about the way verses get crafted down bottom. As an alumnus of the Nasir Jones Fellowship with Harvard University’s Hip Hop Archive and Research Institute, poet and educator Dasan Ahanu understands this truth better than most. Join the 2023 Piedmont Laureate as he explores the work of the Dirty South’s most daring wordsmiths.

​At the 1995 Source Awards, André 3000 proclaimed, "The South got something to say." To understand the depth of that profound truth, you must spend some time with the brilliance brewed below the Mason-Dixon line. With Writin’ Dirty, Dasan leads the audience on an exploration of the South’s deep and enduring poetics. A rich and distinctive tapestry of oration and storytelling, there is something special bout how the pen moves round here. Let's dig into what makes what comes out of the Dirty South so compelling and dynamic.