








TLA'S Mission
Twelve Literary Arts bring storytelling and performance poetry to public spaces, while supporting poets and writers of all ages with youth programming, adult professional development, and brave spaces, to dream, write, and teach into reality a world of social justice and equity.
Founded by poet, educator, and youth activist Daniel Gray-Kontar in 2016, TLA provides literary arts instruction and leadership development to high school-aged youth while offering an expansive slate of programming to adult poets, writers, and storytellers. Working in collaboration with an array of community partners, Twelve Literary Arts has played a pivotal role in merging the stories of everyday neighborhood residents with the creative placekeeping efforts of community development corporations, developers, and city planners. Twelve Literary Arts are one of the leading contributors to the local dialogue about the intersection of the arts and social transformation in the city of Cleveland.
OUR PROGRAMS
Room 201 Workshops
Room 201
The Barbara Smith Writer-in-Residence
The Barbara Smith Residency
The Hough Youth Advisory Board
The Hough Youth Advisory Board
Baldwin House
Urban Writing Residency
Baldwin House
Russell Atkins After School Fellowship
Russell Atkins Fellowship Program
Twelve Arts Media
Twelve Arts Media
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