How hip-hop and love led Little Rock's first poet laureate to a life of passionate verse

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The city of Little Rock designated its first poet laureate through a proclamation at the board of directors meeting Tuesday.

Leron McAdoo, who has had a long-time passion for poetry, said he was honored to receive news of the designation.

I just was amazed as someone who fell in love with language when I was a young person through hip-hop and that love of language turned into a love that moved me into finding poetry," Leron said. "I think this shows a recognition for the power of the arts."

Leron, an art teacher at Central High School and co-sponsor of the Central High Righteous Poetry Club, said students often thank him for the opportunity to be exposed to different things.

"One child, in particular, came to me and said, 'Mr. Mc, poetry didn't save my life but it probably saved somebody else's'," he recalled. "Poetry got him out of the condition, out of a mindset, out of a future that he saw for himself and he was able to realize and actualize a different future because of art."

Leron also credited his wife Stacey McAdoo for his success and said it was his love for her that brought him into the language of poetry.

Stacey, who was named the Little Rock School District's 2019 Teacher of the Year, said when she met Leron he was known as the "godfather of hip-hop" and she was known as the poet and writer.

"So I was known as the poet, I was the writer," she said. "He came to me one day and said, 'may I have permission to enter your arena to start doing poetry'."

Stacey said she was puzzled by Leron's question and said he didn't need her permission.

"He said 'no, you don't understand, I need permission because once I start doing poetry, I'm going to kill it'," Stacey said. "At the time I'm like 'I'm the best, there's nothing that he can do that will decrown me'."

Since then, Stacey said Leron took his poetry to another level by forming poetry troops, doing spoken word performances, and touring the country.

I tell my students, you don't even know what you think until you write it down," Leron said. "The arts allow for people - not just students - an opportunity to know their power, know their thoughts, and know how they feel."