Ms. Susan Barnes has taught language arts, creative writing, and literacy in Brooklyn and Harlem since 1996. She is a gifted staff development trainer, artist, singer and performance poet. Driven by the philosophy that ‘language is art,’ she uses her love of the arts to create language experiences that illustrate how skilled expression conveys, explores and documents the human condition. This maxim takes center stage at the Writers’ Block Party, an event co-hosted by the mentors at Verbal Eyze to connect aspiring writers to the talented poets, musicians and artists who make up Atlanta’s Art Community. The resolve to help young people discover their voice has led her to begin work on her first novel, a fiction work exploring the role of cultural identity in changing times. She earned her B.A. in English from Stony brook University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Brooklyn College.