Faylita Hicks

"As a performer, I feed off the energy of the 

crowd!"

- Faylita Hicks,The Austin-American Statesman

Faylita Hicks is a 2009 featured host for Austin's Neo Soul and the 2009 Grand Slam Champion and member of the Austin Poetry Slam Team.

A current Texas State University student, her  work was recently published in both the recently released biography This I Accomplish: Harriet Powers' Bible Quilt and Other Pieces and the 2009 Austin International Poetry Festival’s annual anthology, di-verse-city.  In June of 2009, Faylita Hicks won the 1st Austin American-Statesman Poetry Slam. In March of 2009, Faylita was ranked amongst the top twelve poets at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in Detroit. A featured artist of “The Experience Tour,” she has performed on stages in Albuquerque, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, New Orleans and others. She was a two time member of the Austin Southflavas /Neo Soul Poetry Slam Team, representing at the National Poetry Slam in 2007 and 2008.  In 2007, she was ranked 3^rd in the nation during the 3^rd season of the national online spoken word contest for www.Famecast.com.  Faylita is currently a featured artist on the 2009 EXSE Spoken Word Showcase. 

 Born in Gardena City, California, this young up and coming artist is committed to not only crafting incredible poetry and exciting performances, but also to service in her community.  In 2009, Faylita founded her first company, A Poet’s Tribe Collective, to encourage the growth of individual artists and to promote the artist’s involvement in the community.  In 2008, she was honored at the Austin Toros Heritage Night for her individual achievement in the community.  She champions a number of social and global issues including: Domestic Abuse, Cancer Research, Homelessness and Human Trafficking.   She is an alumni member of the national service organization, Gamma Sigma Sigma. 

Faylita’s innovative performances have made her a crowd favorite in the Austin community.  She has blended great writing with energetic and creative performances, letting her brilliant words come to life on the stage.  Since 2003, she has worked alongside a number of noted Spoken Word Artists and developed her craft under the excellent mentorship of the Neo Soul Collective and the Austin Poetry Slam. In 2009, she opened for the internationally acclaimed band R.IS.E. in Austin,TX. Her repertoire contains diverse subject matter; poems about true love, domestic abuse, self confidence, human trafficking, hip hop and so on. She currently lives in San Marcos, Texas. She was recently accepted to the MFA Creative Writing Program at Texas State University-San Marcos.