In Chapel Hill, the stars don’t just come out at night: they’re shining 24/7. And just when you think you’ve seen them all, here comes another, even brighter light. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Donovan Livingston into that constellation.
An unassuming Harvard graduate, Donovan Livingston teaches music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Alongside his wife, Dr. Lauren West- Livingston who is an Integrated Vascular Surgery Resident at UNC, he’s raising three children under the age of five — Joy, Elanor, and Winston. Oh, and he also serves as the Town of Chapel Hill’s Poet Laureate. Sleeping is for the birds.
Livingston takes his role as Poet Laureate seriously. “I want to build partnerships with the young people who call Chapel Hill home,” he says. “Poetry can unmask truths and unpack emotions that often feel frustrating or inexpressible. I want young people to know they can speak directly to elected officials and engage with issues that matter to them.”
Livingston also hopes to create meaningful partnerships with individuals within the correctional system, using poetry and storytelling as tools for reflection, expression, and connection.
Donovan Livingston (he/him) is from Fayetteville, North Carolina, and is an award-winning educator, spoken-word poet, and public speaker. In 2016, his Harvard Graduate School of Education convocation address, “Lift Off,” went viral, reaching more than thirteen million views and prompting Hillary Clinton to praise, “It’s young graduates like [Livingston] who make it clear that America’s best days are still ahead.” The convocation is expressed as spoken word poetry, and if you haven’t heard it, here’s your chance. It’s an inspiring convocation. “Teachers introduced me to the sound of my own voice,” he says, and it is the sound of his own voice and the poetry his voice embodies that is so moving, and wise.
Since that pivotal moment Livingston has been everywhere, featured on CNN, NPR, BBC, Good Morning America, and in news outlets across Europe, Australia, India, and South Africa. His convocation address was later published as a book by Spiegel & Grau in 2017.
A believer in the transformative power of education, Livingston inspires students, educators, and communities with his conviction that every child has the right to “lift off” and achieve their dreams. Drawing on both personal experience and scholarship, he examines the role of culture, hip-hop, and spoken-word poetry in student experiences across higher and post-secondary education.
More specifically, Dr. Livingston’s research explores how poetics—rooted in Black lyrical and oral traditions—can serve as a catalyst for student success and systemic change within colleges and universities. His areas of expertise include educational leadership, critical hip-hop pedagogy, and hip-hop-based qualitative research methodologies.
In his role at UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Livingston manages the design, implementation, and evaluation of the university’s general education curriculum for first-year students. With a dual appointment in the Department of Music, he also teaches courses on hip-hop history, culture, and composition.
Dr. Livingston earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, master’s degrees from Columbia University and Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He currently serves as Teaching Assistant Professor of Music and Director of College Thriving at UNC Chapel Hill.
As Poet Laureate, Livingston carries a deep respect for language, rhythm, and community. As both a poet laureate and spoken-word artist, he says he is always ready to “cyph.” (A cypher is an informal gathering where artists stand in a circle, taking turns to rap over a beat, share stories, and showcase their skills.) If you see him on the street—and this is Chapel Hill, so you very well might—ask him to.
OK, Dr. Livingston, you’re on!
Follow Donovan Livingston at @DLive87 on IG/X/Facebook and stream “Donovan Livingston” music on all platforms.