Day Eight is pleased to announce the finalists of the 2026 DC Poet Project competition: MariTi Lovell, Angelo Brooks, Kiara Penn, and Delante Allen.
Day Eight’s annual poetry reading series and open-to-all poetry competition, the DC Poet Project, was created to support the professional practice of poetry. The prize for the series winner is a book contract with Day Eight. Recent books published through the competition include 2025 winner Malachi Byrd’s Before We Gone and 2024 winner Amuchechukwu Nwafor’s Salt Water Roots.
Join the finalists, series curator Regie Cabico, series host Aaron Holmes, and the Day Eight community, at the culminating reading event, 2:00-3:30pm, Sunday, May 3, 2026 at the Anacostia Public Library, 1800 Marion Barry Road SE, Washington, D.C.
The finalist poets will each perform and then the audience will live vote to select the 2026 DC Poet Project winner. This is a free event and space is limited, advance registration is recommended.
Click here to register to attend.
The 2026 DC Poet Project was made possible by support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and other funders of Day Eight, partnership with the Anacostia Coordinating Council, and individual donors to Day Eight. The featured poets in the 2026 DC Poet Project reading series, who served as judges selecting the finalists, were Kristin Kowalski-Ferragut, Amuchechukwu Nwafor, Teri Cross Davis, Susan Scheid, Brandon Douglas, Micki Topham, Anne Becker, Malachi Byrd, Susan Mockler, Ishanee Chanda, Jenn Koiter, and Nico Penaranda.
About the 2026 DC Poet Project Finalists
MariTi Lovell is a natural-born scribe from Harlem, New York, who has lived in the District since 2019. She enjoys playing video games, listening to music, and spewing random esoteric knowledge. She has experience working in a variety of industries and hopes to explore quieter parts of the world.
Angelo Brooks, who performs as CanMan the Poet, is an emerging poet from Washington, DC. He graduated Luke C. Moore Academy SHS with the Eagle award for character and has NMTI certifications in Swedish & Sports Massage. His writing style is diverse and intricate, and reflects on the hardships he’s experienced, including losing his parents at a young age.
Kiara Penn is a born and raised DC native who performs using the stage name Kookie. She began performing spoken word in 2023 and is known for her wit and relatability – in her poetry and her personal interactions with others. Kiara has poured into her craft over the past year, curating and hosting her own open mic, “Sharp Penn Poetry and Artistry.”
Delante Allen is an emerging poet from Washington, D.C. He grew up across the DC area – from Suitland Road to Eastover and the Anacostia area. He was first sentenced to jail while in high school and started writing around the same time. He spent the early portion of his adult life incarcerated. Now back in Washington, D.C. he has performed his poetry at Covenant House and Busboys and Poets.
To read more about the 2026 DC Poet Project reading series, view the blog post on the Day Eight website here.