We’re welcoming two new staff members to Deep’s Young Author Project. Congratulations to brand-new Site Coordinators Samuel Poole and Leona Humphries!
The Young Author Project is Deep’s largest and oldest program, and touches the lives of hundreds of young people in Chatham County. As Site Coordinators, Leona and Samuel will act in a support role for the Young Author Project’s team of Writing Fellows, local creative adults who lead after-school writing workshops at school sites across SCCPSS. They’ll answer Writing Fellow questions, help support young people in the workshop, and act as a go-between for Writing Fellows and their workshops’ school-based anchors, or Ed Fellows. They’ll also lead workshops themselves at certain schools, elevating the voices of some of the most creative young people in the South.
Leona Humphries
“Young people need an outlet to be seen and heard, to be able to explore themselves and the world around them through art,” Leona said. Leona may be new to Deep, but she has been working with and advocating for young people in the Savannah area for decades, going all the way back to when her son was in school. Leona’s son is on the autism spectrum, and Leona was impressed that the schools he attended in the Savannah–Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) met his needs. But Leona knew that inequalities in school funding and school resources meant that young people like her son who lived in other neighborhoods did not have the same positive experiences. These problems were not the fault of any one school: they were structural issues, the results of a larger system that did not serve the whole community equitably. Through her advocacy and volunteering, Leona resolved to devote herself to making changes that would impact all of Savannah. “That’s at the center of what I do. That’s what fuels my work and my passion, to make long-lasting change in society. I know what’s possible. It’s not easy. It does require the work,” Leona said.
Leona finished her BA in Law and Society at Armstrong University and went on to receive an MEd in Education Policy and Leadership from American University. She has worked and volunteered for Savannah nonprofits both big and small, including 9to5 (the National Association of Working Women) and Loop It Up, where she has served on the board. “When I look at the organizations I volunteer for, it’s amazing to me how people come together,” Leona said. “It doesn’t matter their background, race, or religion—people come together, especially when it comes to supporting young people in this city.”
Leona has been watching Deep grow and evolve as an organization for years, attending Deep’s shows, tabling for other organizations at Deep’s events, and even volunteering for Deep’s Youth Leadership Team. “I’ve been on the periphery seeing what Deep does and the impact,” she said. “When I saw the site coordinator job, I thought it was my chance to get off of the sidelines and get involved full-time.”
Leona is a writer herself, and looks forward to connecting with young people over their shared interest in penning short stories and poetry. Outside of writing, Leona is a passionate sports fan, especially of baseball, soccer, and football. And, of course, Leona’s love for Savannah itself runs deep. “Savannah has been very good to me. There’s such a community spirit throughout the city. I’m an extrovert, and I never feel like I meet a stranger in Savannah,” she explained.
Samuel Poole
We Deep folks have known Samuel Poole for a long time. In fact, Samuel was a young teenager when we first met him. Back in middle school, Samuel’s English teacher suggested he join Deep’s Young Author Project for a creative outlet to hone his already impressive writing skills. At first, Samuel resisted. “At the time, I didn’t know anybody who wanted to write voluntarily,” he said. But once he gave Deep a try, his creative world exploded. “Writing and creativity are essential. It’s the one thing that’s needed. It’s the best picture in the world for holding memories,” he said.
Samuel spent time in the Young Author Project and in Block by Block, and remained connected to the mentors he met through Deep while in college at Winston–Salem State University and during his stint in the military, often sending them his poems for workshopping. Samuel even joined Deep as a remote SLAM Team coach. “My mentors kept in touch with me and sent me letters. They kept me working with them virtually. It was nice to feel like someone was keeping me in mind,” he said. Samuel has traveled to Washington D.C. on an advocacy trip with Deep, has been interviewed for the local Savannah news, and has returned to Savannah to perform in slam shows—all while in college—with the assistance of his Deep mentors.
While in college, Samuel founded a slam team to fill the poetry gap in the local community, a club still in operation even now that Samuel has graduated. “With Deep, I learned about community organizing and how to run things, and my mentor taught me how to workshop and make lesson plans. It was about poetry, healing, learning who you are, and embracing creativity within yourself,” Samuel said. Samuel is a prolific poet himself under the name SIP TheE Poet and is working on both a book and a podcast.
As a new Site Coordinator for the Young Author Project, Samuel is eager to bring the program to even more youth in Chatham County. “Programs like this are the way we come together. Being able to say I helped get a youth published feels amazing. Youth are like turtles: they’re in the shell of themselves, and the next thing you know, they’re wide open,” he said. And he knows firsthand that Savannah needs programs like the Young Author Project and organizations like Deep. “The City of Savannah does not always get to see or understand the importance of organizations like this. Organizations like this show there are people like you out there. Whether it’s drawing or dancing or writing, it’s showing the world you can create,” Samuel said.
Welcome to the team, Leona and Samuel! Deep is lucky to have you.