Welcome to Art and Verse! Today, January 9th, we’re celebrating the birthdays of three influential figures:

• Simone de Beauvoir (b. 1908), a pioneering French writer and existential philosopher whose work, The Second Sex, challenged societal norms and laid the foundation for modern feminist thought.
• Joan Baez (b. 1941), the iconic singer-songwriter and activist who became a voice for peace and justice during the Civil Rights era, with timeless songs like We Shall Overcome and Diamonds and Rust.
• Richard Nixon (b. 1913), the 37th President of the United States, whose legacy is marked by both significant diplomatic achievements and the historic Watergate scandal.
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Today’s featured poem is “Voice to the Voiceless” by Lauras Wallace. Wallace is a groundbreaking literary figure, a two-time #1 bestselling Amazon author, and a masterful writer of Black dialect. Her powerful works draw inspiration from African American literature and her Southern roots. In 2023, Wallace earned her first Pushcart Prize nomination for her poem No Justice for Breonna, published in Social Justice Inc.'s anthology.

You can find Lyris Wallace and her Sister, Chyrel J. Jackson at https://sistersrocnrhyme.blogspot.com/https://sistersrocnrhyme.blogspot.com/

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Thanks for tuning in—be well and stay inspired!