For the third summer in a row, Twin Steeples is collaborating with the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) to bring Ponchatoula an art camp like no other!
Camp is for kids ages 11 to 18 and will run from July 7th through the 10th from 12:30PM-3:30PM
Meet the Instructors!
Poetry With Akilah Toney
Akilah Toney is a published writer, spoken word artist, dancer, teaching artist, and digital creator from New Orleans, LA. From the beginning of her journey in the study of writing and dancing at age ten, Akilah investigates rhythm and word as sacred forms of communication that shape our human experiences and ultimately transform us. Through this, Akilah calls upon her own identity and the histories of her Southern foremothers as praxis in her search for sacred rhythm. With a background in Psychology, Akilah prioritizes the intersection of wellness and arts for inter-generational Black, Brown, and Queer communities in order to nourish alternative modalities for community healing and flourishing.
At age fourteen, Akilah accepted a Scholastic Gold Key award at Carnegie Hall for her outstanding efforts in poetry among numerous awards in her youth. She is the 2018 New Youth Open Mic Slam Poetry Champion. In 2025, Akilah was nominated for the Emerging Leader award at the New Orleans Black Pride Awards. She is an alumnae of the A Studio in the Woods Replenish Residency and Rethink Revolutionary Artist Fellowship.
Akilah has been featured in Medium’s Heated magazine. Nola.com, Vogue.com, the New York Times, the I Am New Orleans Poetry Anthology, and the Jesuit Social Justice Research Institute monthly publication. Akilah has performed and worked with the Urban Bush Women Leadership Institute, Cultural Ties Dance group led by Kai Knight, Big Freedia, BYP 100, The International Congress of Youth Voices, Woman with a Vision, Kid smART, The Ogden Museum, Dancing Grounds, JuneBug Productions, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, Rethink, LOUD New Orleans Queer Youth Theater, Studio BE, Ashe Cultural Arts Center, Community for Change,
The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, WHIV 102.3 radio, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Photography With Britney McCray
Britney McCray is a published and featured photographer, photography educator, and owner of The Glam Lab Photography. With over 18 years of professional experience, she has built a reputation for creating impactful imagery and empowering photographers through education.
Britney has spoken at multiple photography conferences and workshops across the country, sharing her expertise in photography, posing, lighting, client experience, and business growth. Her
work has been featured in various publications, and she is passionate about helping others develop both their creative and professional skills within the photography industry.