A pen, a mic and a mission. That’s all Kiya Vance believes he needs to help reshape the future of Corpus Christi’s creative scene.
Earlier this year, the 24-year-old was named Corpus Christi’s newest Poet Laureate, the city's youngest and first African-American to hold that title. Vance said this honor is more than just an opportunity. For him, it’s a calling to uplift underrepresented voices across the city and build lasting connections through art.
For Vance, poetry didn’t start on a stage. It started in the classroom, with one teacher who saw his potential.
“The teacher told me that I had talent, so that was the first time that I realized that I had a future with poetry," Vance said. "I started with rapping and from rapping I realized that they’re one in the same.”
That spark led to years of growth; from rapping to writing, and eventually performing spoken word. Now, Vance sees poetry not just as personal expression, but as a community-building tool.
As Poet Laureate, Vance hopes to change how art is experienced and valued in Corpus Christi.
"Poet laureate can be considered an academic idea and we can do poems all day and workshops. That’s helpful and we will do that. But if you can combine communities such as the poetry community, the live performance community, hopefully within a year or two when all that happens, we’ll have a thriving community like Austin or Houston," Vance said.
To help make that vision reality, Vance co-founded “Word of Mouth,” a group that hosts open mic nights and live showcases. The goal? To provide a platform for people of all backgrounds to share their voices, whether through comedy, music, poetry or storytelling.
Vance is also part of a local band called Moon Jazz, adding live music to his creative repertoire.
When it comes to writing, he said inspiration can’t be rushed.
“It kind of writes itself,” Vance said. “I don’t even write poetry unless I feel the need to, I don’t force it.”
Still, when the words come, Vance sees his work as much bigger than himself.
“I want to invite as many artists and as many musicians, comedians, poets, whatever talent you may have to connect with other people." Vance added. "I see such big goals for myself, and such big goals for the community that this is just merely a footnote in the story of Kiya Vance.”
As he continues his work as Poet Laureate, Vance said his focus remains on cultivating connection and encouraging dialogue through the power of poetry and performance.”
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