Mari Carter

Mari “MC” Carter is a performing poet, writer, teaching artist and student. Her passion for the arts has led her to collaborating with Urb Arts as a poet, Verbquake teaching artist and a Verbquake Youth Slam coach. She has partnered with organizations such as Prison Performing Arts, Saint Louis Storytelling Festival, Covenant House, and Artist as Tutors to not only share her work as a poet, but create spaces for others to shine, grow and release through writing.

Mari is a two-time Saint Louis Grand Slam Champ, two-time Southern Fried Poetry Slam Indie Finalist, and represented Saint Louis at the Individual World Poetry Slam. She invested three years into competing with the nationally-ranked Saint Louis Poetry Slam team. Her writing focuses on reflecting the current times, social and political justice, joy, and womanhood. Her greatest hope is that her work in the community and writings can help someone heal, transform, overcome, and rest in spaces that bring them peace and safety. She is currently dedicated to completing her first poetry and short story book, “Damaris,” as she pursues a career in mental health as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Mari joined the RAC AEP6 Research Team in June 2022 as a research assistant. She earned her bachelor’s degree at University of Missouri-Saint Louis, majoring in psychology and minoring in business management and organizational behavior. She looks forward to working with RAC and exploring other avenues to elevate the arts.