Culture & Community | Arts & Culture | Youth Arts Journalism Initiative | Arts & Anti-racism | Shubert Theatre | Kulturally Lit
Jarelis Calderon Photos.
As guests stepped into the softly lit cabaret at the Shubert Theatre, the room buzzed with anticipation. Writers, artists, and community members filled the space, ready to ready to fête some of the local and statewide voices that have been lifting them up for years. When emcee Frank Brady took the stage with an ear-to-ear smile and lifted the mic to his mouth, it felt like the beginning of a sacred service.
Framed as both an awards ceremony and a community fundraiser for Kulturally LIT, that scene came to the Shubert last Sunday, during the organization’s inaugural Luminary Soirée. A celebration of poets, writers, and the literary arts, the evening centered awardees and authors Marilyn Nelson, Sharmont “Influence” Little, Nzima Hutchings and Tochi Onyebuchi all of whom have been a part of the Kulturally LIT family during its precipitous growth over the last five years.
Nelson, who served as the state’s poet laureate from 2001 to 2006, received the “Firestarter Award;” Influence, the city’s current poet laureate, received the "Cultural Steward Award;" Enfield Poet Laureate Hutchings received the “Literary Cultivator Award” and Onyebuchi was recognized as a “Literary Legend.” In addition, the evening doubled as a chance to recognize Shamain “Sha” McAllister, who is leaving her position as managing director of Kulturally LIT as she becomes the city’s director of Cultural Affairs.
The woman of the hour, IfeMichelle Gardin.
Throughout the night, the event highlighted just how important Black writers are in preserving stories, inspiring creativity, and keeping cultural identity alive. It also served as a soft launch for next year’s festival and programming, focused on “Dynamic Women Writers.”
“These are writers that I admire and people who, in addition to their literature, do so many other things,” said Kulturally LIT Founder IfeMichelle Gardin, stressing the importance of supporting the literary arts throughout the evening. “They represent legacy and keeping it going.”
Hutchings, honored as this year's "Literary Cultivator," has built a career rooted in storytelling and women’s empowerment. Hutchings is the founder of Hartford’s L.I.T., a Hartford-based literary organization that runs both year-round programming and the Hartford Book Festival, of which Gardin has been a fan since its inception. Through a second organization, Every Kinda Lady, she helps women from all backgrounds share their stories, publish their work, and heal through literary arts and wellness.
Nzima Hutchings, who launched Hartford's L.I.T. just a few years before Garden got Culturally LIT (then called Elm City LIT Fest) off the ground.
Hutchings had just returned from a residency facilitating writing workshops in Senegal on the day of the event, a reflection of how far her work reaches. As a teaching artist, global workshop leader, and the two-time poet laureate of Enfield, she centers her writing around real, raw stories. She also makes time to support the writers—especially young women—around her.
“Women’s stories inspire me. Keep going, write the story,” she said. Receiving the Literary Cultivator award carried deep meaning for her, she added. “I am honored, I am humbled, and I feel deserving.”
“Write it while the ink and the soul art are still pumping,” she said. She is currently working on a play, a jazz-themed anthology she hopes to release soon, and expanding her television show “Nzima’s Poetry Cafe,” which features poets of all ages.
Sharmont "Influence" Little: “Whenever the spirit gives me something to write, that’s what it becomes.”
For “Influence” Little, it was the act of being honored by his own community that stuck with the artist. Born and raised in New Haven, Little made New Haven history two years ago, when he was named the city’s inaugural poet laureate. Since then, he’s performed on stages across the city, from City Hall to collaborations with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra to LIT Fest itself, where he passed the baton to incoming Poet Laureate Yex Diaz.
“It’s an honor to be seen and celebrated by the very people who raised me,” he said. “Whenever the spirit gives me something to write, that’s what it becomes.”
He added that he hopes his poetry continues to shine light on issues that are too often swept under the rug, including gun violence, educational inequity, and LGBTQ+ representation. With the support of events like Kulturally LIT, he added, he’s also turning to new creative chapters, like a book and a one-man play entitled “Clinging to Daddy.”
Little’s message to emerging writers is simple, he said. “Don’t give up. If you dream it, there’s a reason. Keep going, even when life feels darkest. The worst can’t stay the worst forever.”
Emcee Frank Brady.
For attendee JoAnne Wilcox, the evening's energy was nothing short of electric. Surrounded by poets, writers, and community builders, she said she felt “energized and enthusiastic” to witness so many people celebrating Black literary talent in one room. As a longtime friend and mentee of Gardin’s, Wilcox came out both to show support and to “get dressed up” when told— something that Gardin inspires effortlessly.
Among the night's honorees, Wilcox was especially moved by Little, whose poetry she described as deeply reflective of the kindness and authenticity he embodies in real life. Earlier this year, she spent 80 days writing 80 poems, for her mother’s 80th birthday. It was a reminder of meaningful storytelling, like that which Little brings to the stage, can be.
“Anytime you can bring people together, it’s a beautiful thing,” she said. “But honoring Black writers, honoring the work that’s happening right here and right now—who doesn't need that?”
Around the room, the energy that awardees brought to the stage was contagious. Brady, who has become a beloved fixture and informal hype man at Kulturally LIT’s events, said he was thrilled and honored to emcee the evening, part of his deep and ongoing commitment to and love for the literary arts in New Haven (Brady is, fittingly, also an internationally recognized poet himself).
For Brady, literacy and appreciation of the literary arts isn’t just a topic, it’s also a foundation. Maybe for this reason, watching Little receive recognition for his work felt especially meaningful, he said. Little has been a mentor and “big brother” to Brady for nearly two decades, going back to the first poetry concert Brady attended as a teen. Seeing the impact that he’s continued to have on the community has motivated Brady in his own life and made the moment especially significant.
Brady also had high praise for Gardin, who he sees as a guiding force and a luminary herself. To Brady, events like the Luminary Soirée matter because they bring people together.
“We can’t heal our society. We can’t battle the problems in our society by ourselves, no one wins in silos,” he said. “We all have to win and work together.”
Read more about the evening in the New Haven Independent here. A junior at Wilbur Cross High School, Jarelis Calderon is an alumna of the 2025 summer cohort of the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative (YAJI). YAJI is a program in which New Haven, Hamden and West Haven Public Schools high school students pitch, write, edit and publish articles through the Arts Paper. This year, YAJI advisors included Arts Paper Editor Lucy Gellman and reporter and YAJI alum Abiba Biao.