Juneteenth Commemoration Program Featuring Caleb “the Negro Artist” Rainey

This will be an exclusive program for the community of Washington. Caleb “the Negro Artist” Rainey is a spoken word artist, producer, and poet. His programs are designed to move an audience: it will challenge you, inspire you, and touch your heart. Caleb hails from Columbia, Missouri, and holds a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from the University of Iowa. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, became Amazon’s #1 new release in African American poetry and was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize. His second book, Heart Notes, was published in 2019 and was featured on Iowa Public Radio. He released two spoken word albums, a studio version of Look, Black Boy, and a performance album titled, Heart Notes Live! In 2023, as a part of the Brucemore Artisan in Studio Program, Caleb produced his first short film, Willing to Grow.

Caleb will be backed up by a jazz trio headed up by our own Randy Swift and friends. The music will set a beautiful tone and environment for people to listen to and be moved by Caleb’s spoken words.