Meet Our Grantee-Partner: Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative
Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative is a Chicago-based arts and literacy incubator that immerses young people in the creative arts, fostering their personal growth, reflection, and the opportunity to take charge of their own lives.
An SGLAI alum shares their original work created in the program. Photo courtesy of Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative.
Mission: Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) is an arts and literacy incubator that immerses young people in the creative arts, fostering their personal growth, reflection, and the opportunity to take charge of their own lives. SGLAI does this by providing resources, mentorship, and community in the Chicago area through online networks and, most importantly, within youth-incarcerated spaces.
Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative (SGLAI) was founded in Chicago by artist, educator, and organizer Elgin Bokari T. Smith. Writing had always been a deeply spiritual act for Smith, but when mentors showed him how to channel his voice into poetry, he realized that poetry could be a tool for helping others grow. In 2021, he started SGLAI to create safe, creative spaces where young people—particularly those in juvenile detention—can explore their potential through writing, music, and visual art.
SGLAI provides professional-level workshops inside juvenile detention facilities in Chicago and local suburbs. The creative writing workshops empower participants to explore personal narratives, hone technical writing skills, and share their voices through publication and recorded spoken word. The communities SGLAI serves are full of untapped creative potential, and in carceral settings, that potential is too often stifled—youth are silenced, instructed to conform, and given few opportunities for authentic self-expression. Poetry provides a powerful counter to that silence. It allows young people to process their experiences, speak their truths, and reclaim their voices. By creating a safe, supportive space for them to write and share, SGLAI offers not just an outlet for expression but a pathway to healing, resilience, personal growth, and successful reentry into society.
SGLAI’s visual arts workshops introduce a range of 2-D and 3-D media—including comic book creation—allowing youth to explore visual storytelling and design. In audio production workshops, participants learn industry-standard recording, mixing, beat-making, and DJ techniques, producing original, radio-ready music. For advanced students, SGLAI offers independent study opportunities to develop ambitious creative projects with the support of professional mentorship.
SGLAI’s Artists-in-Residence program deepens this work by bringing celebrated creatives, such as Grammy Award-winning artist Che “Rhymefest” Smith, world-renowned musician Substantial, and activist-musician Damon Williams Jr., into facilities for multi-week collaborations. These engagements connect youth to working artists who reflect their cultural and lived experiences while modeling resilience and the transformative potential of creative expression. Engagement with these mentors allows youth to envision new opportunities for themselves, broadening their sense of what’s possible and providing positive alternatives to cycles of incarceration. Many participants carry their work beyond the walls, sharing it at Open Stage, SGLAI’s public performance series where written work, music, and visual art are presented alongside emerging and established artists.
The Cosplay Contest at Pocket Con. Photo courtesy of Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative.
In addition to in-facility programs, SGLAI engages at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth in neighborhoods on Chicago’s South Side and West Side where juvenile arrest rates are among the highest in the city. Pocket Con is SGLAI’s free comic book convention celebrating characters and creators of color. Stomping Grounds Open Stage is a monthly platform for youth and emerging artists to share their voices. Through Locked Achievements, a series of curated gallery exhibitions, SGLAI brings youth-created work to broader audiences, challenging narratives about incarcerated and marginalized young people. Together, these programs create pathways for skill development, personal growth, and lasting impact in both carceral and community spaces.
Receiving an Equity in Verse grant from the Poetry Foundation enabled SGLAI to expand programming inside juvenile detention centers, providing more consistent and professional-level workshops. The funding also allowed SGLAI to recruit more mentors and artists-in-residence, giving youth access to role models who reflect their experiences and inspire them to see new possibilities for their futures.
Beyond program expansion, the grant has strengthened the sustainability of SGLAI’s efforts by enabling investment in materials, technology, and resources that make high-quality creative work possible. Youth can now share their writing, poetry, music, and visual art with broader audiences through SGLAI’s gallery exhibitions, performances, and community events like Pocket Con. This support ensures that SGLAI can continue fostering resilience, self-expression, and lasting impact for the young people SGLAI serves.
Connect with Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative: