About Jaylene Clark Owens

Jaylene Clark Owens is an AUDELCO and Barrymore award-winning actress, as well as a highly acclaimed spoken word poet, from Harlem, NY. She is the author of AfroPoetic, her debut collection of poetry, now available on her website. She received her BFA from Ithaca College, where she founded, and led, the spoken word organization, Spit That!. Jaylene is a part of The Wilma Theater's resident acting company, HotHouse, in Philadelphia, PA. She has been seen in numerous productions in Philadelphia including WHITE (Theatre Horizon), Red Speedo (Theatre Exile), and her Barrymore award-winning performance in An Octoroon (The Wilma Theater). As a part of the Barrymore Awards, she is the 2019 winner of the illustrious F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Philadelphia Artist. She is the Executive Director of Harlem KW Project, LLC, a theatrical company she created with three other women to create the spoken word infused play, Renaissance in the Belly of a Killer Whale. In 2012 she won first place in the Apollo Theater Amateur Night contest for her poem, "SoHa." She is an alum of the prestigious theatre-in-verse #BARS Workshop at the Public Theater, led by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs. In addition to performing spoken word, she is also a teaching artist. She has taught several poetry writing workshops with students ranging from second grade to adults. Jaylene co-hosts a live video podcast on Facebook called, "#PoppaPank," with fellow actor, Justin Jain. Learn more information about Jaylene by visiting JayleneClarkOwens.com.