Charleston’s first Poet Laureate, Marcus Amaker, teams up with Grammy-nominated musician/producer Quentin E. Baxter for an evening of art-inspired poetry and jazz. Marcus’ poems have been featured on TEDxCharleston, PBS Newshour, the A&E network, the Huffington Post, Alaska Beyond Magazine and many local media outlets. He’s created more than 20 electronic music albums, more than 100 websites and one poetry festival. As a journalist, Marcus helped to create Charleston Scene, for the Post and Courier. He is the lead graphic designer for Charleston Jazz and the national music journal, No Depression. Charleston Business Magazine named him one of Charleston’s 50 Most influential people. Quentin E. Baxter’s passion for worldwide performances is equaled by his dedication to educate, promote, produce, and present world-class artists in his hometown, Charleston, SC. He serves as Professor of Jazz Percussion at the College of Charleston and he formed Baxter Music Enterprises (BME, LLC).  He’s currently touring worldwide with award-winning vocalist and composer René Marie, Grammy-nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, and Ranky Tanky. Baxter regularly performs many prestigious venues and festivals. He’s performed at The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York), Joy of Jazz Festival (South Africa), Toulouse Jazz Festival (France), Umbria Jazz Festival and Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi (Italy), and, of course, Spoleto Festival USA (Charleston). Don’t miss this inspired duo on June 20 at Jazz at the Gibbes!