Words Beats & Life
Alan King is an accomplished Public Affairs Specialist at DC Child and Family Services Agency since November 2021, and serves as a Senior Editor of Creative Writing at Words Beats & Life since October 2013. Additionally, Alan is a Visiting Writer for the PEN/Faulkner Foundation, contributing to the Writers-in-Schools program, and is the author of two published works, POINT BLANK and DRIFT. Alan has extensive experience in communications, previously working as a Communications Specialist at Generations United, where contributions included writing Op-Eds and producing a weekly newsletter. Prior roles include Creative Writing Instructor at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Senior Program Director at DC Creative Writing Workshop, and Staff Writer at Afro-American Newspaper. Alan's educational background includes a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine and a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism from Howard University.
Words Beats & Life
Words Beats & Life began as a conference at the University of Maryland in the fall of 2000; our founders worked to create a vehicle to transform individual lives and communities through Hip-Hop. Today, Words Beats & Life uses a holistic approach to youth, and community development that involves hip-hop artists, scholars, educators, activists, and allies. Our Mission: Our mission is to transform individual lives and whole communities through Hip-Hop. We do this through public art creation, teaching courses in the core elements of Hip-Hop, publishing a global academic journal on Hip-Hop, sending artists abroad and hosting Teach-Ins and retreats to build the capacity of scholars, artists and arts educators and arts managers from throughout the country and around the world.