Christian Davenport, aka Cubs the Poet, composes a poem for an attendee at New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, which took place in March at the Ace Hotel.
Christian Davenport is more than a poet. He’s also an entrepreneur.
Known professionally as Cubs The Poet, Davenport has been combining his art with business since 2015, when he first began writing instant poems for passersby from a table on Royal Street. Today, the Baton Rouge native — in 2019 he was named the city’s first poet laureate — teaches workshops, curates exhibits and writes custom poems and books for weddings and other special events. This year, Davenport brought his wordsmanship to New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, where he composed poems for attendees from a table in the lobby of the Ace Hotel.
“I have a background in psychology,” Davenport says. “I like to encourage the person to think for themselves. I help to guide the person in finding the theme they most relate to. After discussing it, I take keywords and begin to create the poem. In other cases, I may not even ask a person for their theme. They may simply allow me to free write.”
Not surprisingly, Davenport says business was a recurring theme among NOEW guests, and a theme he enjoyed writing about.
“The energy of the curious entrepreneur is fascinating,” he says. “I loved being the observer at the intersection of pitching ideas, networking and possibilities.”
ADAPTATION STRATEGIES
Evaporate.
Boil.
Freeze.
The different degrees
Of a dream.
The climate of culture
to change the brain,
While educating the
mind on how to
Filter the lack of feeling.
Adapting
To thirst,
Will help us with
The truth of why water is
Our purest asset.By: Cubs the Poet
The 11th annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, which took place March 25-29, drew more than 3,500 attendees from 23 states and three countries. Through the combined efforts of the organizers and partner organizations, NOEW also awarded $300,000 in funds and services to local entrepreneurs during pitch competitions throughout the week.
For the first time, the A. B. Freeman School of Business served as a co-producer of NOEW, a partnership that greatly elevated Tulane’s role in the program. In all, more than 30 Tulane professors, administrators and alumni delivered presentations during NOEW.
“Over the last several years, the Freeman School has re-committed itself to serving the New Orleans business community through a wide range of programs and initiatives,” said Freeman School Dean Ira Solomon. “Partnering with the Idea Village to co-produce NOEW continues this effort to build connections and bring Freeman expertise to entrepreneurs across the region.”
