Twin Poets to perform in Rehoboth Beach Feb. 16

In honor of Black History Month, West Side New Beginnings Inc. will host the Twin Poets for a performance at 5 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, at 19801 Norwood St., Rehoboth Beach. The evening of poetry is free to attend. Seats are limited.

In 2015, Gov. Jack Markell appointed the Twin Poets, Nnamdi Chukwuocha and Albert Mills, as 17th Poets Laureate of the State of Delaware.

Inspired at an early age to write and express themselves, identical twins Mills and Chukwuocha are strong advocates for promoting poetry by incorporating poetry/spoken word and creative writing programming into schools, libraries and community centers. They are internationally known for their performances of socially conscious work, including “Dreams are Illegal in the Ghetto” and “Homework for Breakfast.”

Their live performances are unique presentations of their written words. Onstage, their voices will mesh – one will start a line and the other will finish the thought. The audience will be entertained not only with their poetry and stories, but also their witty asides.

The brothers appeared on HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam” series in the mid-2000s and, as a result, have since performed on stages across America, Europe and Africa. Through it all, they continued to work with the people in their communities.

Beside being poets, veterans and fathers, the twins spent more than 17 years working at the Kingswood Community Center in Wilmington, and continued to expand and develop their idea that art could counter the dream-killing effects of poverty and hardship.

Mills is a family therapist and community-based social worker, and Chukwuocha is a social worker who served on the Wilmington City Council for a number of years and currently serves in the Delaware House of Representatives.

The Twin Poets presentation is sponsored by West Side New Beginnings Inc. and the Freeman Arts Pavilion, a program of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation, whose purpose is creating opportunities that elevate the human spirit..