Richmond, Virginia native, Douglas Powell/Roscoe Burnems is the city’s first poet laureate. He is a published author, spoken-word artist, comedian, educator, and father who has dedicated his craft to entertaining and educating. In his time as an artist, he has been a three-time southern regional finalist (2009, 2014, 2022), National Poetry Slam Champion (2014), and two-time Underground Poetry  Slam Champion (2019, 2022). He has been a TEDx speaker, and a host for RVA Booklovers Festival.  Douglas Powell is creator of The Writer’s Den RVA Art Collective, a poetry based arts, education, and entertainment organization.  It conducts creative writing workshops through Central Virginia.  He is the author of three published works: Fighting Demons, Chrysalis Under Fire, and God, Love, Death and Other Synonyms. He has also been published in over a dozen literary magazines and journals, including: Freeze Ray Magazine, Flypaper Magazine, Scene & Heard, Into Quarterly, Beltway Quarterly, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, and Rise Up Review.