Glenn North, an adjunct English instructor and 2006 graduate of Rockhurst University

College of Arts and Sciences

Glenn North, an adjunct English instructor and 2006 graduate of Rockhurst University himself, has two standard pieces of advice, or rules for his students:

  1. Take yourself and education seriously.
  2. Be responsible for educating yourself.

North is a very active member of the Kansas City community, serving as the poet-in-residence for the American Jazz Museum, executive director of the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, and former director of education and public programs at the Black Archives of Mid-America. This dedication to the city he loves and spreading awareness of its history led him to a partnership with faculty member Rhiannon Dickerson and a program called “Pathways.” This Rockhurst program utilizes Kansas City itself as the classroom and educates high school students on the place they call home while they earn college credit along the way. The program’s theme this year is, “Kansas City Here I Stand” and the curriculum takes the high school students deeper into their own city’s history, whether that be education about architecture, art, or the deep roots of activism that are growing every day.

North’s involvement in the “Pathways” program brought him to the attention of Dr. Jason Arthur, current chair of the English department. Because of North’s educational and professional accomplishments, both as an activist and poet, Dr. Arthur asked if he would be willing to teach freshman composition at Rockhurst during the fall semester. North said that one of the reasons he has always loved Rockhurst and chooses to stay an active Alum is because he sees Rockhurst as a place that fosters broader thinking and activism in its students. Rockhurst helps students evaluate what truly matters and gives them the support to truly be a change agent in the world. 

Glenn North’s love of the English language and literature started at a very young age. When I asked how he found his niche in poetry he responded, “Poetry found me actually”. He went on to explain that growing up he spent a great deal of time with his grandmother and that she loved poetry, so it was almost always around him. For his 8th birthday she gifted him a copy of “If” by Rudyard Kipling, rather than clothes or toys like he was used to. He told me one of the best moments was the pride radiating from her face as she watched him recite it for her from memory the very first time. He said, “I didn’t understand the poem fully, but I loved the rhythm”, and from there he started writing his own poems and found a voice.

North's journey with poetry continued from there through his life, first to honor his grandmother, and then further as he discovered his own love for the spoken word. North lived in Washington D.C. with friends before going back to school, and he recalled the adventures he had discovering the beauty of poetry in the spoken word while there. He said while he didn’t “make a lot of noise” per say, he was consistent and built his passion. When he moved back to Kansas City in 1997 there wasn’t a lot of that happening, and so he sought to make it happen. He started out at a little dive bar on 19th and Vine called the “Mardi Gras”, Wednesday nights once a month, and it was a huge hit. North said, “All I needed was a microphone and some space” and from there it took off.

Over the years since then, with the opportunities presented to him, he has lived a life where his passion is his job. North said he is, “Truly blessed to work as a poet” and that he wants to be a “poet of the people”. To him, teaching the students at Rockhurst is a way to help spread a love of writing and the subject that means so much to him, but also to use experiences in his life to teach his students to love life and embrace what is given while simultaneously working hard for what they want to achieve.

Glenn North is currently working on a variety of projects in addition to his instructing time at Rockhurst, including helping with the reopening of the Kansas City Museum and working in collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on a podcast that talks about community and growth for the future of representation (Will be out in early 2022 with 5 episodes).