Alexis Stark

Metro Detroit native Alexis Cameron Stark is a passionate journalist and poet based in Grand Rapids. She is the author of the chapbook “Learning to Sleep in the Middle of the Bed” and full-length collection of poetry, “The Sound of Honey Falling.” This poet serves as a teaching artist for The Diatribe, an organization that partners with West Michigan schools to empower students to use their voices to disrupt historical systems of oppression and honor their community through the spoken and written word. Alexis is also a co-host of House of Words Open Mic in Grand Rapids, where artists come together to share poetry, music, and the healing power of storytelling.

For her day job, she reports for School News Network, a non-profit initiative of Kent Intermediate School District that serves as a window into classrooms, spotlighting resilient and innovative teachers and students. Previously, Alexis wrote for MLive at the Ann Arbor News and Michigan Advance, a nonprofit news outlet featuring hard-hitting reporting on politics, policy and the best commentary in the state of Michigan. While attending Michigan State University’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, she created and facilitated arts and poetry workshops for incarcerated men at Michigan prisons, exploring the potential of arts to create positive social change and promote individuality within the prison system. Alexis also co-authored and edited “100 Questions and Answers on Gender Identity” and “100 Questions and Answers on Sexual Orientation”, to increase understanding and awareness of various human identities. These multimedia guides were published across print and digital platforms within 100 days.