James Kass

James Kass is an award-winning writer, educator, and producer. He has worked with dozens of organizations as a consultant and coach, and was the founding Executive Director of Youth Speaks, a position he held for 21 years. He created and co-executive produced the 7-part HBO series Brave New Voices and the Peabody-nominated Brave New Voices 2010. He was Artistic Director of the PBS series Poetic License, the documentary 2nd Verse, and the NPR Series The Drop In. James created the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, served as Executive Editor of First Word Press, was a founding member of the San Francisco Poet Laureate Selection Committee, and helped launch the National, SF, and Oakland Youth Laureate Programs. He curated the poetry for the first ever White House Poetry Jam for the Obama family in 2009.