Ashley Cornelius

Ashley Cornelius is the 6th Poet Laureate of the Pikes Peak Region, based in Colorado Springs. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). She is passionate about mental health and removing stigma for those seeking support. She graduated with a master's in International Disaster Psychology from DU. Ashley Cornelius is a nationally recognized spoken word poet and her work looks at empowerment, self-care, body neutrality, intersectionality, and systemic oppression. Her poetry reflects her intersectionality as a Black, fat, queer, woman. Ashley is sought after across the country for speaking engagements and workshop facilitation. Ashley was awarded the Bee and Arts Champion from the Bee Vradenburg Foundation in 2021. She is a Colorado Business Journal Rising Star class of 2021. She won Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist in 2019. She has won multiple poetry slams in Colorado Springs. She was the Women of the World Poetry Slam Colorado Springs representative and competed in Dallas at Nationals in 2018. She has been featured at Tedx Cherry Creek & Colorado Springs, Colorado College, the Colorado Springs Women's March, Denver Public Library, the Colorado Nonprofit Association, and many other stages and venues.

Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry 719, a poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities and BIPOC folks through poetry and creative self-expression. Ashley was nominated for two 2018 Pikes Peak Art Council (PPAC) awards and won best recurring poetry event. She aims to inspire, empower, evoke change with her poetry. Ashley has a background in poetry education and was the Program Director of an arts nonprofit in Denver focused on poetry workshops and curriculum. Ashley is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up and out for marginalized groups and be a voice for those who have been silenced.