Sticks and stones may break my bones, but the words of Ashley Cornelius have healed me
-Ashley Dodge
Ashley is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and is the manager of the RESTORE program at Denver Health, providing confidential peer support to Denver Health personnel. She is passionate about mental health and removing stigma for those seeking support. She graduated with a master’s in International Disaster Psychology from DU.
Ashley Cornelius is the 6th Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate. Her poetry focuses on empowerment, self-care, body positivity, intersectionality, and systemic oppression. Ashley is sought after across the nation for speaking engagements and workshop facilitation.
Advocism and identity through the lens of a therapist and artist
Ashley has opened up for former U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo and the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee. She competed at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2018. She is a two-time Tedx speaker. She performs regularly across Colorado and prides herself on her community engagement. Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry719, a Black-led poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities and BIPOC folks through poetry in Colorado Springs. Ashley is a therapist and believes poetry is a powerful modality for healing. Ashley has a background in poetry education and was the program director of an art nonprofit in Denver focused on poetry workshops and curriculum. Ashley is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up and out for marginalized groups and be a voice for those who have been historically silenced.
Master of Arts, International Disaster Psychology
University of Denver 2018
Bachelor Of Arts, Psychology & Communications
University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) 2013
Poetry719
Co-Director 2017- Present
Children of Gaia
Current Poetry Coordinator
Artist Vision 2030
Steering Committee 2020, 2021
Hear Hear
Board of Directors 2018
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Soul Haven Collective
Current Board of Directors
Poetry Heals
Current Board President
Health Equity Leadership
Current Council Member
When sunflowers can’t turn toward the sun, they turn toward each other instead.
Rely on community to be the light and the nourishment from petal to root.
This is of course a myth, but isn’t it a beautiful thought that we can be what we need for each other.
My voice turns toward poetry.
My heart towards community.
My soul towards healing.
Won’t you turn towards me as I towards you.
Build connection and healing from the mutual recognition of our blooming spirits.
Turn myths into reality by showing up for each other with grace, wIth joy, with love.
Won’t you join me in a sunflower revolution?
One Colorado
2023 Prism Award
Bee An Arts Champion
2021 Arts Champion Award
Women of the World
National Poetry Slam Representative
Pikes Peak Art Council
2018 Best Poetry Event
CBCA
Ey Next Wave Leadership Award
Colorado Springs Business Journal
2021 Rising Star
Colorado Springs Business Journal
2021 Rising Star
NAMI Colorado Springs
2023 Advocate of the Year
Colorado Springs Mayor
2021 Young Leader Award Finalist
Colorado Springs Mayor
2021 Young Leader Award Finalist
Lyndon E Copeland
Music & Arts Influence Award
CS Independent
Silver & Gold Best Artist
CS Independent
Silver & Gold Best ARtist
“Ashley and the poetry community she collaborates with truly inspires all who come in contact to be free through self-expression. It is an inclusive community that is a light of Colorado springs & beyond”
Eloisa Lynch
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but the words of Ashley Cornelius have healed me”
Ashley Dodge
Other Accomplishments
- RESTORE Program Manager, Denver Health (2020-2023)
- Adolescent Psych Therapeutic Case Worker, Denver Health (2018-2020)
- Practicum Student, Denver Health ( Adolescent Psych, Adult Psych, PEDS, PICU) ( 2016-2018)
- Student Therapist, Trauma Disaster Recovery Clinic, University of Denver (2016-2017)
- STAMP Conference (2024)
- Steamboat Chamber, Thrive Conference ( 2024)
- Colorado Springs School (2024)
- CoSHI Summit ( 2023)
- RYLA (2023)
- University of Denver, CWC Scholars (2023)
- Fountain Valley School MLK Day (2022-2024)
- Queer Creatives Retreat (2022)
- Tu Casa, Inc (2022)
- El Pomar Foundation Alumni Reunion ( 2022)
- UCCS MLK Day (2022 & 2024)
- Authentic YOU Keynote ( 2022)
- Thrive (2024)
- Empower Yampa ( 2024)
- Youth Resilience Summit ( 2024)
- CoSHI Summit ( 2023)
- Educating Children of Color Summit ( 2023)
- Philanthropy Southwest ( 2022)
- Margins Conference (2023)
- PowerHer Women of Color Conference (2022)
- Junior League of Fort Collins Women’s Conference (2021)
- Black Health and Healing Summit: Queens Library (2021)
- Colorado Nonprofit Association Conference (2020)
- Workplace Racial Equity Symposium: Denver Public Library (2020)
- Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence ( 2018, 2019, 2020)
- African American Youth Leadership Conference (2018-2024)
- Peace Camp ( 2018)
- EmpowerME at UCCS( 2017)
- INSITE Fund ( 2025)
- Château d’Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency (2025)
- Arts in Society ( 2024)
- Windy Pines Foundation ( 2024)
- Soul Haven Collective Artist Residency
- Green Box Arts Residency
- Level Up Scholarship ( 2023)
- Manitou Arts Culture Heritage Grant for “Art in Action” (2021-2024)
- Manitou Arts Culture Heritage Grant for “Children of Gaia” (2021-2024)
- Pikes Peak Art Council Micro Grant for “Black Voices Matter” ( 2021)
- Fine Arts Center 3×3 Project “Behind the Cape” (2021)
- Closing poem for David Dorfman Dance (2023)
- Opening poem for Former United States Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo (2022)
- Commissioned poem for The Grandmother of Juneteern, Opal Lee (2022)
- Residency with Green Box Arts and commissioned poem for James Turrell’s Skyspace (2022)
- Colorado Health Foundation
Infinite Hope and Restoration Ministries - Steamboat Chamber
- Jackson Elementary
- PPLD, East Library Homeschoolers
- UC Health CORAL project
- Fort Morgan High school
- Poetry Out Loud
- Spark Online School
- Educating Children of Color Summit
- Global Poetry Workshops with
- Imagination Celebration Portal
- Fountain Valley School MLK Day
- The Clinic & Kaiser California
- CoSHI Summit
- Pikes Peak Live with Pikes Peak Library District
- Queer Creatives Retreat with
- Lighthouse Writers
- Let’s Talk About Sex: The Magic of Metaphor, UCCS
- African American Youth leadership Conference
- UCCS Arts & Resilience-Self Honoring
- UCCS Arts & Resilience-Revolutionary Joy
- UCCS Arts & Resilience-Caring for the Caregiver
- UCCS Arts & Resilience-Sound Bowl Meditation
- Gender Body Sound Course guest lecture Colorado College
- Inside Out Youth Services Pride Poetry workshop
- Gender Body Sound Course guest lecturer Colorado College
- Mindfest in Louisville, Kentucky, poetry and art workshop
- Margins Conference, feature & poet laureate panelist
- Colorado College Stroud Scholars
- CSU Pueblo Student Workshop
- La Foret wholeness and wellness retreat
- Pikes Peak Live, PPLD
- Vladimir Jones
- Youth Activist Training workshop
- Sandcreek High school student workshops
- Voces Unidas for Justice Creativity as Self-Care for Survivors
- Pikes Peak Community College Sexual Assault Awareness month
- Pikes Peak Community College “Finding your anti-racist self”
- BIPOC Collective Care Circle (Denver Public Library)
- Workplace Racial Equity Symposium: Denver Public Library
- Colorado Nonprofit Association Conference Creativity as Self-care
- Break the Silence Against Domestic Violence
- Hercules Middle School-Mindfulness Fridays
- Pikes Peak Community College Black History Month
- Speak Out: Poetry as Healing Workshop (Cottonwood Center of the Arts)
- Inside Out Youth Services
UCCS - Jackson Elementary
- Youth Documentary Academy
- African American Youth leadership Conference
- Educating Children of Color Summit
- RYLA Conference
- Colorado College Stroud Scholars
- Youth Activist Training
- Art from Ashes
- Colorado Youth Diversity Conference
- Pikes Peak Library District Summer Programs
- Fountain Valley School
- Sand Creek High School
- Hercules Middle School:
- Mindfulness Fridays
- Co-Coach of National Hear Hear Youth Team
- Peace Camp
- Discovery Canyon Workshop
- Woodland Park High School Girls Leadership, Poetry Camp Counselor
Poetry719 “We Do Stuff ” Festival
Art in Action
Pikes Peak Poetry Summit
Remembrance: George Floyd
Poetry719 Events:
- Colorado Black Voices Matter Open Mic
- Latinx Voices Matter Open Mic
- Mental Health Open Mic
- Listen to Black Women Open Mic
- Listen to Women of Color Open Mic
- Listen to People of Color Open Mic
- Behind the Poetry Showcase
- Nerd Open Mic
- Erotic Open Mic
- Youth Open Mic
- Self-Love workshop & open Mic
- Black Art Matters Gallery
- Art Markets
- Letters to My Exs Open Mic
- Poetry & Hiking
- Poetry & Movement Showcase
- Comedy & Poetry Open Mic
- Men of Color Panel on Toxic Masculinity
- Ruth Holley Library Rededication
- For the Love of Black Women Showcase
- Denim Day Open Mic
- Disability Awareness Open Mic
- Spirituality & Poetry Open Mic
- Grief and Loss Open Mic
- “Let’s Talk About Death” Open Mic
- Queer BIPOC Open Mic
- Women’s Open Mic
- Fight the Power Open Mic
- Black Men Appreciation Open Mic
- Nonbinary Open Mic & Showcase
- Food to Power (2024)
- Art in Action (2024)
- Remembrance (2024)
- Margins Conference ( 2024)
- CC Mobile Arts (2024)
- Nami ( 2024)
- Women’s Community Leadership Initiative (2024)
- Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum (2024)
- Gallery of Contemporary Art ( 2024)
- Juneteenth (2024)
- Cobalt ( 2024)
- Funders for Reproductive Equity (2024)
- Keep Colorado Springs Queer (2023)
- Juneteenth at Colorado College ( 2023)
- Pikes Peak Live, PPLD ( 2023)
- David Dorfman Dance (2023)
- Laboratory to Combat Human Tracking (2023)
- Philanthropy Southwest Conference (2022)
- Pikes Peak Live (2022)
- Green Box Arts Festival ( 2022)
- Panorama Park ( 2022)
- 315 Collective (2022)
- Philanthropy Collective ( 2022)
- TheaterWorks: The Bluest Eye (2022)
- Colorado College, MLK Day ( 2022)
- American Association of University Women ( 2022)
- Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC Gala ( 2021)
- TEDx Cherry Creek Women ( 2021)
- Women of Influence ( 2021)
- NAMI Walks ( 2021)
- Arts Vision 2030 Launch (2021)
- Authentic You Symposium ( 2021)
- All Pikes Peak Read ( 2021)
- NAMI Walks ( 2021)
- Kreuser Gallery ( 2021)
- Friendship Day, Manitou Springs ( 2021)
- Elevated by Art (2021)
- We Imagine Live ( Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking) (2021)
- Liberation through Farming ( 2021)
- Spirits of the Soil ( 2021)
- Creative Strategies for Change (2021)
- Conocimiento Garden: Power Hour (2021)
- CC Mobile Arts Opening (2021)
- Kreuser Gallery “Gratitude” (2021)
- Community Foundation Board Meeting ( 2021)
- Teach for America (2021)
- Colorado Springs Rotary Club (2020)
- March on Washington Sister Demonstration (2020)
- Youth March ( 2020)
- We Project (2020)
96.1 The Beat Townhall meeting (2020) - For the Love of Black Women (2020)
- RMPBS (2020)
- Black Lives Create (2020)
- African American Youth Leadership Conference (2019, 2020)
- OneBodyENT Black History Program (2019, 2020)
- Peak Radar Live (2019, 2020)
- Ruth Holley Library Rededication & Open Mic (2019)
- Fannie May Duncan Statue Opening (2019)
- When We Knew Everything with Springs Ensemble (2019)
- TEDx Colorado Springs (2019)
- Soul Session with Emily Strange (2019)
- American Prom by Idris Goodwin (2019)
- Colorado Springs Sanctuary City Event (2019)
- Imagination Celebration Poetry Portal ( 2019)
- Live Life Beyond with Bailey Hinton, Tony Exum Jr, & John Register (2019)
- Mercury Cafe (2019)
- Pikes Peak Community College Downtown Gallery Opening (2019)
- Colorado Springs Women’s March (2018, 2019)
- Women of Influence Award Ceremony (2018)
- Black Art Matters Gallery (2018)
- Colorado College Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Awareness (2018)
- At the InkWell Reading (2017, 2018)
- NAACP (2017)
- Keep Colorado Springs Queer (2016)
- Colorado Black Voices Matter (2016)