We are excited and honored to officially announce poet and educator Enid Pickett as our first Healdsburg Jazz Choir Poet Laureate! We believe that our priorities and possibilities begin with the artists we support.

Enid Pickett embodies all the artistic and humanitarian qualities that represent the best of our culture. Enid Pickett has been the unofficial Healdsburg Freedom Jazz Choir Poet Laureate for over eight years and on January 22, 2021, her appointment became official.

Her contributions included creating poetry for the introductions of our many choir concerts over the years. Enid has also been part of our education and outreach to our elementary and middle schools. In the 1990s, she was a Fullbright Scholar, which allowed her to teach in South Africa, Ghana, and Brazil. Enid was also a diversity trainer with NEA, enabling her to train all over the United States.

Born and raised in Neptune, New Jersey, Enid has lived in Sonoma County for many years. She credits her exposure to artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, June Jordan, Nicki Giovanni, Terri McMillan, and James Baldwin, who have all shaped her work. Enid’s work reflects the ancestral voices that move through her in her writing and her performance.

From Marcus Shelby, Artistic Director:
Enid’s poet laureate duties will include performances, educational activities, and resource development connected to Healdsburg Jazz programming, and project support. As Artistic Director, I am personally thrilled to partner with such a brilliant and eloquent artist. I have known Enid for almost 10 years and I’m inspired by her ability to weave words and sentences like a musician playing the blues-full of clear, articulate tension and release.

Enid was a featured artist in our MLK DAY Concert we released on January 15, 2021. You can enjoy her Gala performance below.