Will McInerney
HOST AND PRODUCER, "STORIES WITH A HEARTBEAT"Will McInerney is an award-winning spoken word poet, storyteller, educator, and journalist specializing in the intersection of conflict resolution and creative expression. Will hosts and produces Stories with a Heartbeat, a new podcast that explores the complexity of the human condition in conflict through poetry, stories, and conversation. In addition, Will helps with education reporting and produces the My Teacher Project.
Will's work has been featured in media outlets, at universities, and on stages across the US and around the world, including parts of Central America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. In recognition of his work utilizing poetry to confront Islamophobia, Will was recently selected as one of the top six emerging storytellers in America by the International Storytelling Center.
Will has worked as a freelance reporter and producer for North Carolina Public Radio for the past five years and has reported from Egypt, Tunisia, the Palestinian West Bank, Jordan, Turkey, and domestically in the US. Will is a US State Department Program Fellow, a Beacon of Light Award-winner, a Southern Poetry Slam Champion, a National Poetry Slam Finalist, and a National Duo Slam Champion.
Will drinks too much coffee and is always looking for more frequent flyer miles.
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North Carolina is one of only two states in the US where 16 and 17 years old kids are routinely charged as adults for even the most minor offenses. This… -
Amin Drew Law is a Palestinian-American poet and educator based in Washington D.C. In his poem, "The Secret Weapon of Chubby Boys," Amin taps into a… -
Rafeef Ziadah is a Palestinian poet and human rights activist living in London. Her poem, “We Teach Life, Sir,” is powerful and poignant reminder of the… -
Graduation speeches tend to be predictable and repetitive. They rarely leave a lasting impression. But a couple months ago, Harvard Graduate School of… -
As athletes from around the world compete for gold in Rio this summer, poets from across the U.S. are facing off in a different kind of competition. It is… -
CJ Suitt is a young black poet living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. And he has a simple and frightening question, "Would I be shot if I called the… -
In a month filled with tragedy, how do we make sense of it all? This week on the podcast, we use a poetic lens to try and find meaning within… -
School is full of conflict. This week we explore three conflicts in the classroom. Students and teachers use poetry and stories to reflect on moments of… -
On February 10th, 2015, Deah Barakat, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, and her sister Razan Abu-Salha were shot and killed execution-style in Chapel Hill, North… -
Seven poets from across the US share new works written and posted to Facebook within one day of the recent mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando.…
