Venus Jones - Poet and Professor

Venus Jones is more than an author, actress, professor, and poet. She’s a social change agent waging peace through poetry. She writes and speaks about empowerment, diversity, and being true to yourself. As a writing coach and performer, she inspires individuals to rise to their highest potential. She has been compared to Maya Angelou and praised by Whoopi Goldberg and poet Nikki Giovanni. The Langston Hughes Family Museum even referred to Venus as, “Langston Hughes in the form of a black girl.”

With an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College, she’s a MALI Fellow and serves as a board member for Poetry Center San Jose. This former MTV intern and accomplished actress also opened for Def Poetry on Broadway. Her play “Race and War: An Awkward Conversation” was featured at the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival, and “Poetic Soldier” was awarded “Most Inspiring Solo Performance” at the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival. She is the author of four spoken word albums and two books: “She Rose” and “Lyrics for Langston.” Her favorite quote is by Alice Walker: “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

Visit venusjones.com.