BUFFALO, N.Y. — Aitina Fareed-Cooke calls it an honor to be the city of Buffalo's new poet laureate because she can "utilize the skill set of literary arts to be able to expand perspectives."
During a month when women are being celebrated, Fareed-Cooke said "To be a woman, there's there's a lot I can say. There's a lot of fierceness in me confidence and things like that, different experiences that I've had that I'm going to incorporate into this process."
She succeeds Jillian Hanesworth in the role.
"She really advocated for this opportunity to be available within Buffalo," said Fareed-Cooke.
In 2012, Fareed-Cooke founded Get Fokus'd Productions. It is a creative media arts production company specializing in "human-first" storytelling, mentoring emerging artists, and elevating community voices through a social design approach.
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