About Dasha Kelly
Dasha Kelly is a writer, performance artist, and creative change agent. A former Poet Laureate for the State of Wisconsin and the City of Milwaukee, she leverages art as a transformative tool for dialogue and human equity.
Key Honors & Roles
- Wisconsin Poet Laureate Emerita (2021–2022)
- City of Milwaukee Poet Laureate (2021–2022)
- Founder, Still Waters Collective
- USA Artist Award Nominee
- Arts Envoy for the U.S. Embassy in Botswana & Mauritius
Art as a Vehicle for Human Connection
Dasha Kelly believes that creative engagement opens pathways to conversations that traditional institutions often struggle to hold. Through spoken word, novel writing, interactive theater, and community facilitation, she creates spaces where people feel seen, heard, and invited to share their own truth.
She has delivered keynotes and facilitated workshops across five continents, engaging audiences ranging from corporate executives and university campuses to incarcerated individuals and youth community centers. Her work consistently explores themes of race, class, womanhood, belonging, and shared history.
Community & Leadership
As founder of Still Waters Collective, Dasha curated spoken word initiatives, youth poetry slams, and creative writing programs for over two decades in the Midwest and beyond. She continues to design custom arts-integration curriculum and consult for cultural institutions, foundations, and civic groups seeking creative problem-solving.
Initiatives & Partnerships
Building community and brokering conversations are also creative endeavors. As a thought partner and project consultant, Dasha affords sharpened perspectives and nuanced guidance. She elegantly weaves a cape with three decades of success in project management, marketing communications, facilitation, and as a culture producer, artist and writer.