Grammy-nominated poet, musician and activist invites audiences to slow down, listen and reconnect with their humanity
By Gwen Pierce
Some artists entertain. Others inspire. And then there are artists like aja monet, who invite audiences to pause, reflect and rediscover the beauty of simply being present.
Ahead of her upcoming performance at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, the Grammy-nominated poet, musician and cultural voice spoke with The Chocolate Voice about the intimate relationship between poetry and music, finding community through art, and why caring for one another shouldn’t be considered extraordinary—it should simply be part of being human.
Throughout the conversation, one truth surfaced again and again: the personal and the universal are never far apart.
“I’ve always learned that the more intimate and personal you become,” monet says, “the more you can connect to larger issues.”
For her, poetry isn’t an escape from the world—it’s a way of understanding it.
“Everything that’s taking place in the world is a direct reflection of how we relate to each other,” she explains. “Everything is rooted in our personal relationships. Until we transform those relationships, I think we’ll be able to fully transform the world we want to see.”
It’s a philosophy that has shaped not only her writing but the way she moves through life.
Finding Home Through Poetry
Contrary to what many might expect, monet can’t point to one defining poem that convinced her she was destined to become a poet.
Instead, she remembers a place.
After winning a school talent show with one of her poems, an older student encouraged her to explore Urban Word NYC, a literary arts organization dedicated to nurturing young writers. That recommendation led her to her first poetry slam at the historic St. Mark’s Church in New York City’s Lower East Side.
Walking into that room changed everything.
“I found my first real community of poets,” she recalls. “I felt like I had found a tribe of folks who were just as committed and inspired by the power of poetry.”
What had once been a solitary act suddenly became something shared.
“It opened up a whole world for me,” she says. “I realized I wasn’t alone.”
The experience also introduced her to mentors, workshops and lifelong friendships that affirmed poetry wasn’t simply something she did—it was where she belonged.
Becoming the Poetry
As monet has grown, so has her understanding of what it means to be an artist.
“The more sincere and authentic and truthful you can be with yourself,” she says, “the more deeply the poetry resonates.”
“I didn’t just want to write good poems,” she says. “I wanted to embody the poetry I wanted to see in the world.”
She believes becoming a better artist begins with becoming a better human being.
“The deeper my relationships have been with people who love me and the people I love, the better person I’ve become—and the better poet I’ve become.”
For monet, art isn’t separate from life. The work we do on ourselves eventually finds its way into everything we create.
Where Music and Poetry Meet
Language has always been musical for Monet.
She hears rhythm in conversation, melody in everyday speech and harmony in human connection.
“If we saw all conversations as music,” she says, “it would drastically shift our relationship to what we do when we communicate.”
That philosophy has naturally led her to collaborate with some of today’s most respected musicians, including acclaimed bassist, vocalist and producer Meshell Ndegeocello and drummer Justin Brown.
Her latest project, The Color of Rain marks an important milestone—not simply because of the music itself, but because of the confidence she discovered while creating it.
“There was a lot of being reminded that I was enough,” monet says. “That my ideas were enough. That my creative decisions were enough.”
The project gave her room to explore new textures in her artistry, incorporating singing, harmonies and a level of intimacy she says listeners haven’t heard before.
Rather than feeling confined by expectations, she found herself fully embracing her own creative voice.
Redefining Activism
Although monet’s work often addresses injustice and inequality, she hesitates to define herself primarily through the lens of activism.
Instead, she challenges the very premise of the question.
“I don’t know how anyone can see the world and not be concerned,” she says.
For monet, caring about access to clean water, education, healthcare, dignity and fairness isn’t political.
It’s human.
She believes responsibility for one another belongs to everyone—not just artists.
“It should be more absurd that we aren’t taking care of each other.”
It’s a simple statement, yet one that carries remarkable weight in a world where compassion can sometimes feel like an act of resistance.
Rather than asking what role artists should play during difficult times, Monet encourages all of us to ask a different question:
Why aren’t we all more invested in one another’s well-being?
An Invitation to Be Present
As the conversation drew to a close, I asked monet what she hopes first-time audience members carry with them after the final applause.
Her answer was beautifully uncomplicated.
“I hope…presence.”
Not merely memories of a performance.
Not even favorite poems.
Presence.
She hopes audiences remember that while we all have material needs, we also have needs that can’t be measured or touched.
“We must tend to the heart,” she says. “We must tend to the mind, to the spirit.”
Those words linger long after our conversation ended.
In a culture that constantly urges us to move faster, consume more and pay attention to everything at once, aja monet offers something increasingly rare: permission to slow down.
To listen.
To feel.
To care.
And perhaps that’s what makes her poetry resonate so deeply.
It reminds us that before we are audiences, artists or activists, we are human.
And sometimes, that’s the most powerful poem of all.
What: Grammy-nominated surrealist blues poet aja monet
Where: Epstein Family Amphitheater, UC San Diego
When: Thursday, July 30, 2026 7 PM
Tickets: Click Here === > ArtPower at UC San Diego