Anderson, aka Droopy the Broke Baller, is the co-host of Spit Dat, a spoken word open mic held at the Emergence Community Arts Collective every Thursday. The venue is celebrating its 10th year of serving as a hub for the District’s poetry community. Anderson, who works as an eighth-grade science teacher at Cesar Chavez College Preparatory School, has been hosting the event since its inception.

Does D.C. have a strong poetry community?