Syd Stewart is a published performance poet and writer. A winner of various poetry slams and competitions, was featured in the Langston Hughes documentary called Hughes’ Dream Harlem, which aired on the cable networks STARZ, was a featured poet on BET’s Lyric Café and starred in a feature film called “Everyday People” which premiered at the Sundance Film festival, the prestigious New Director’s Film Festival at Lincoln Center and aired on HBO.
Stewart has performed her work on New York’s WBLS and WBAI, on Miami’s Hot 105.1, on Virginia’s 103 Jams, at Medgar Evers College, Wiley College, BMCC, NYU, Adelphi University, Columbia University, CAM, Lehigh University, Harlem Book Fair, Rush Arts/The Corridor Gallery, at Atlanta’s Black Expo and The National Black Arts Festival where she performed a tribute to Dr. Maya Angelou and Cicely Tyson. After her performance, Dr. Angelou was in tears and speechless. Sydnee has performed on stage with hip hop artists Amir from The Roots and has Amel Larreux. She was the producer and curator for “Harlem Is…at The Museum of The City of New York and “Rhyme, Rhythm, Griots and Song” a teen poetry jam at Pace University. She has performed with her live band alongside Sonia Sanchez, Ursula Rucker and Vernon Reid for DEF Poetry at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and regularly performs in Los Angeles, recently performing for senator Curran Price Jr. and The California African American Museum with Hil Harper.
Stewart, a member of the esteemed service oriented sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, is the Founder and Executive Director of a non-profit organization called Better Youth, Inc. (www.betteryouth.org), which uses poetry, theatre and film to inspire young people with self-confidence. Better Youth has worked LAUSD and Beyond The Bells, with the NYC Housing Authority and The Ronald MacDonald House in NYC to offer film and music after-school workshops to teens and children. Better Youth is a Community Partner with R&B sensation Usher and his New Look Foundation and partnered with the UN Foundation through GirlUP, a teen empowerment initiative.
At present, Stewart is completing her second book of prose and poetry with an accompanying musical poetry album; has been featured in The New York Times, Variety, Jane and People Magazines, She has published works in the following publications: African Voices, Rolling Out, QBR Magazine, The Lasting Joy, America at the Millennium, Signifyin’ Harlem, and Under a Quicksilver Moon. She has been mentored by with famed filmmaker F. Gary Gray, director Jim McKay and noted author Walter Mosley. She is currently shopping her penned projects of feature length screenplays and television pilot.
