The poet laureate position was approved by city commissioners in 2024, and applicants were required to live or work in the city and be committed to continuing to do so.
The announcement Friday was by both the city and Culture Works.
“Being a laureate is an award that honors intellect but it’s an acknowledgement of the creative,” Leone said. “For me, being an artist who has spoken to community through words and poetry, and staying in that lane locked in and focused on that mission, I am totally appreciative to the city of Dayton and to Culture Works.”
Leone, who has roots in Toledo as well as Louisiana, has been at the forefront of urban creative arts and Dayton’s spoken word/poetry scene for more than 20 years.
In 2000 she co-founded Oral Funk Poetry Productions with her husband, Robert Owens Sr. The enduring success of OFP’s off-Broadway flavored “The Signature: A Poetic Medley Show,” which brought Grammy and Tony Award-winning talent to Dayton including Academy Award-winning hip-hop artist Common, allowed the genre to flourish in exciting, unapologetic fashion and attract new audiences in the process.
Leone also co-founded Signature Educational Solutions, furthering her collaborative impulses throughout the city, especially with Levitt Pavilion.
As Leone begins her new role, she acknowledged Dunbar’s legacy and the significance of poetry in her life.
“We all have been walking, living and existing in the legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar, especially poets, artists and creatives,” Leone said. “I’ve been focused on poetry. Poetry is a way of life for me. It is all I know and it is what I am.”
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