Bobby LeFebre (born 1982) is a poet, performer, and cultural worker. He is the current
poet laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...
for the state of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. He is the state's youngest and first poet laureate of color.
Biography
LeFebre is a native of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
and attended North High School. He received his
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in psychology from
Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University (Metro State) is a public university in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. in 2004 and M.A. in arts and culture from the
University of Denver
The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
.
Career
Bobby LeFebre is an Emmy-nominated, SAG-Eligible writer, performer, and cultural and social worker fusing a non-traditional multi-hyphenated professional identity to imagine new realities, empower communities, advance arts and culture, and serve as an agent of provocation, transformation, equity and social change. LeFebre is the co-founder of Sacred Voices, previously known as Cafe Cultura, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth literacy through poetry.
He was a founding team member of
Slam Nuba. As an actor, LeFebre is represented by Radical Artists Agency, who manage Colorado's top talent for film, commercial, voice-over, industrials, and commercial print.
LeFebre wrote the play ''Northside,'' which addresses the gentrification of Denver. The play premiered at Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center in June 2019 and sold out 30 shows, with over ten-thousand people attending. LeFebre stated "Northside" served as "an unapologetic celebration of cultural preservation and permanence and a eulogy to things lost." He called it "an urban-colloquial story of power and privilege, unflinching love, and the innate human need to belong somewhere."
He is a board member of the Clyfford Still Museum and a member of the Latino Cultural Arts Center's advisory council.
He sits on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs and is a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures fellow, and an Intercultural Leadership Institute fellow.
Honors, decorations, awards and distinctions
He is a two-time Grand Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam Finalist, an Individual World Poetry Slam Finalist, and a two-time
TEDx
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
speaker.
In 2015, he was named one of Colorado's Top 100 Creatives by Westword magazine.
On July 23, 2019, he was named Colorado's eighth poet laureate by Governor
Jared Polis
Jared Schutz Polis (; born May 12, 1975) is an American politician, entrepreneur, businessman, and philanthropist, serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. He served one term on the Colorado State Board of Education from 200 ...
.
See also
*
Poet laureate
A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) ...
*
Poetry slam
A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges. While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery. ...
References/Notes and references
External links
*
Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:LeFebre, Bobby
American male poets
1982 births
Metropolitan State University of Denver alumni
University of Denver alumni
American male dramatists and playwrights
American male writers
Poets Laureate of Colorado
Living people