Performers

 Amy L. Campbell is an award-winning storyteller, mental health advocate, and healing-arts practitioner whose work centers on lived experience, creativity, and connection.

Amy brings firsthand knowledge of stigma and limited access to care into every storytelling event she creates.

As the founder of Mental Health Reimagined, an initiative dedicated to building safe, creative environments, she invites others to explore healing through music and poetry shows without shame or isolation.

Through her storytelling and experiential practice, Amy challenges inherited narratives around mental illness and encourages individuals to imagine new paths toward wellness. Her work bridges honesty and hope, grounded in survival, shaped by courage, and oriented toward collective care.

Greylan “SideKick” Counts is a nationally recognized multidisciplinary artist whose work spans poetry, publishing, performance, and dance.

As a dynamic figure in the live music and poetry show scene, he is also a publisher and author, slam champion, and trained ballet dancer.

His practice moves fluidly between discipline and disruption, embracing storytelling events that highlight the importance of mental health through creative expression.

A self-described “descendant of concrete” and an outlaw poet, he believes deeply in the power of play as a serious act.

His guiding principle—PLAY: Pursue Love Always, Y’all—shapes both his art and his approach to community, creativity, and care.

Daniel Arthur Gurley is an independent musician and multi-instrumentalist based in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

Known locally for blending blues, rock, and Americana influences, he showcases a distinctive regional sound that merges traditional Southern styles with modern indie sensibilities.

Daniel has spent years honing his skills and musical voice through consistent live music performances and craft-focused work.

Whether performing solo or in collaboration, Daniel brings a grounded, attentive energy to the stage, inviting listeners into music that feels rooted, honest, and lived in.

His work reflects both place and personal evolution, incorporating elements of storytelling that resonate with mental health themes, while maintaining an openness to experimentation and growth.

 Elaine C. Hill is a poet, advocate, teacher, and writer based in North Carolina.

She is the author of two published poetry collections, A Thousand Small: Poems from Early Motherhood and Sing Home Back to Me.

Her work and performances have appeared on multiple platforms, including poetry shows and storytelling events that blend live music with powerful themes.

Elaine’s performances are marked by lyrical language and resonant imagery, using poetry not just to tell stories, but to explore mental health, open breath, and reveal deep truths.

Shoney Lamar is a multifaceted artist who has been self-producing his diverse body of work for over two decades.

With influences ranging from Tom Waits to J Dilla, his music is a patchwork of styles centered around sharp songwriting and sound design reflecting his omnivorous tastes.

Shoney’s solo shows, often held as intimate storytelling events, include acoustic versions of work from across his catalog, showcasing his seasoned talent as a performer and the core essence of his songs.

With a seasoned stage presence and an ear for texture and truth, he brings curiosity, restraint, and lived experience into every performance, making it a meaningful experience for those who appreciate the connection between music and telling bigger truths.

A native of rural Stanly County, Jim Love is a Kannapolis-based poet and speaker whose work bridges mental health advocacy and the power of storytelling.

A former sports broadcasting professional, Jim rebuilt his life through poetry, performance, and advocacy after a mental health crisis ended his career.

Now in his mid-60s, he draws from lived experience with bipolar disorder and chronic illness to challenge stigma and speak honestly about survival, identity, and starting over. 

His poetry blends hard-won clarity with restraint and precision, offering audiences a grounded reminder that it’s never too late to create something true.

Shane Manier is a national spoken-word poet, educator, and trauma-informed care instructor based in the Charlotte metro region.

Her work blends craft, lived experience, and pedagogy, using poetry as a tool for truth-telling, healing, and skill-building.

As the founder of Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit art collective, she creates storytelling events that connect poetry with live music. She is also the creator of The National Poetry Month Summit, an online gathering that supports poets across the United States.

Through performance and teaching, Shane centers clarity, care, and accountability, inviting audiences and students alike into language that does real work while promoting mental health.

 Erick “Zoot” Payne, a.k.a. Smaqdiggle, is a tenor saxophonist who has performed in jam, funk, R&B, jazz, and classic rock bands, bringing his unique flair to live music experiences.

 When he performs and writes music, he starts from “the groove up!”

Approaching performance as inquiry, Zoot uses sound to explore space, tension, and the questions that live between notes. Through his saxophone and moments of silence alike, he invites audiences into experiences of reflection and shared presence, making each performance feel like a storytelling event.

A musical philosopher, Zoot treats music not only as expression but also as a way of contemplating themes that can positively impact mental health, akin to the depth found in a poetry show.

Glenn Proctor is a journalist, author, and mental health advocate whose work bridges leadership, lived experience, and recovery.

A 40-year journalism veteran, he retired as vice president and executive editor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and shared in a Pulitzer Prize at the Akron Beacon Journal. 

He has served five times as a Pulitzer Prize judge and held teaching and residency roles at Kent State University, Washington and Lee University, and Northwestern University.

An executive and life coach, Glenn founded REDDjobb Advisors and is the author of six books, including a contemporary poetry trilogy.

He is a certified instructor in suicide prevention and grief support and teaches Crisis Intervention Training for law enforcement and first responders.

 A Marine gunnery sergeant and Vietnam veteran, Glenn teaches and coaches from lived experience as a foster kid, single parent, alcoholic in recovery, cancer survivor, and diabetic, bringing clarity, compassion, and credibility to every room. 

Jah Smalls is a Brooklyn-born writer, poet, public speaker, and mental health advocate based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

With over 11 years of experience, he uses creative writing as a tool for healing and empowerment.

Following a life-altering injury that led him to rediscover the power of self-expression, Jah dedicated his work to supporting individuals impacted by PTSD, depression, and trauma, especially teens and survivors of violence.

As the founder of the nonprofit WordsRMagic, he facilitates workshops, mentors emerging writers, and travels nationwide as a performing poet and speaker at storytelling events and poetry shows.

Through poetry, live music, advocacy, and education, Jah Smalls continues to change the conversation around mental health, demonstrating how the written word can serve as a pathway to resilience, recovery, and hope.

Brian Sullivan is a musician, creative, community builder, and creative director who believes deeply in making art accessible and shared. 

He serves as Director of Performing Arts at the Cabarrus Arts Council and is known for creating spaces where music and community can grow together.

A self-described professional amateur and unprofessional songwriter, Brian brings curiosity, humor, and care to his work. 

Whether performing or facilitating, he focuses on helping people feel welcome, creative, and connected, believing that making things together matters as much as the things themselves.

Nemo Sum is a writer, spoken word artist, and mental health advocate who performs poetry and leads workshops to share the healing journey.

He is proud to be a member of the Guerilla Poets, a nonprofit group of artists bringing arts education to their community.

With a growing national and online presence as a performer, Nemo is known for his powerful storytelling and the deep vulnerability of his work. 

His poetry ranges from the mythic to the mundane, showcasing the human condition through language that is honest, accessible, and grounded in lived experience, creating space for connection and reflection.

Guillermo “G-man” Villar is a jazz guitarist and vocalist based in the Charlotte area whose work draws from jazz and Latin traditions.

Born in Puerto Rico, he performs most often with his trio Pocket Giants, bringing warmth, groove, and conversation into every set.

A committed mental health advocate, G-man uses music as a bridge for connection and understanding, helping reduce stigma around seeking support.

His performances emphasize listening, presence, and shared experience, creating spaces that feel open, human, and rooted in care.

 Southern fireball Lady V Poetry hails from Swansea, South Carolina. Her charismatic writing takes audiences on a journey through her mind, where imagination, emotion, and truth collide.

With spoken word that drops flames on the mic, the stage, and every platform she touches, Lady V paints vivid pictures for every attendee.

Her performances are bold, immersive, and unapologetically alive, carrying listeners across borders through rhythm, intensity, and story.

Through her work as a poet, host, and creative entrepreneur, Lady V is a fixture in the regional poetry community.

Junious “Jay” Ward is a National Slam Champion, Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, and the inaugural Poet Laureate of the city of Charlotte.

He is the author of Sing Me a Lesser Wound and Composition and serves as a Writer in Residence with Charlotte Lit.

Jay’s work is recognized for its precision, musicality, and intellectual depth.

Through performance and teaching, he uses poetry to examine power, identity, and the intersections of personal and collective history, bringing clarity and intention to every line he delivers.

MrWitzThePoet, also known as Witz Da Wittie, is a spoken-word poet born and raised in East New York, Brooklyn, now based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

He is a cofounder of the poetry duo Grannaesboyz, alongside his brother Coach Jah Smalls. 

Witz began his professional poetry career by launching Sayword Tuesdays, a live poetry open mic series, and has been performing for audiences both large and intimate since 2013.

An author of eleven solo projects, a contributor to two published anthologies, and a collaborator on joint releases including Trigger Warnings and Phased By an Impressionable Moon, Witz brings range, discipline, and lived experience to his work.