AMERICUS — Kirk Nugent — poet, author and professional speaker – will deliver the Georgia Southwestern State University Griffin B. Bell Lecture at 11 a.m. April 12 in the Storm Dome. This event is free and open to the public.
For more than 15 years, Nugent’s public speaking engagements on college campuses and to Fortune 500 companies have led him across the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and the Caribbean. Known by some as “The People’s Poet,” Nugent continues to impact the lives of people from around the world with public speaking engagements, live appearances and with his books, “The Unpopular Truth” and “Answer the Call,” and also his two-disc audio set, “Pursue Your Passion.”
Nugent was voted Performer of the Year by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activity (APCA) in 2003, and Winthrop University named him Speaker of the Year in 2004. Renowned for his talents through spoken word, Nugent was also crowned the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam Champion in 1999. That same year, he was featured on a CBS’ “60 Minutes” special covering slam poetry.
Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, Nugent migrated to the United States in 1983. He later graduated from Kean University in Union, New Jersey.
The Bell Lecture Series, which brings notable individuals and outstanding alumni to campus to share their experiences, is made possible through a gift from the late Griffin B. Bell, GSW alumnus and former U.S. attorney general. The 2017 Edition of the Bell Lecture Series is being held in partnership with the GSW Council on Diversity.