Dr. Crystal Leigh Endsley’s most recent scholarship focuses on how spoken word poetry and performance can connect girls globally, impact their communities, and inform government policy. She is always invested in "putting a mic in the margins" to forecast what is possible for our collective future. From 2015 to 2019 and in 2023, Crystal Leigh co-directed the creative performance of the Girls Speak Out! program at the United Nations for International Day of the Girl hosted at the UN Headquarters each year in October.                 

All of Crystal's work, from the community to curriculum, to her classroom is rooted in a deep belief in the ethics of love and the transformative power of spoken word poetry.

Crystal asks: How can spoken word poetry serve as a tool for social justice? How can poetry and performance create freedom from fear, celebrate boldness, and explore spiritual conviction? What are the stories that need to be told so that we can love ourselves and one another better?

Location: Montclair, NJ and New York City, NY