Diane Luby Lane

Diane Luby Lane is an American writer, educator, actress, and nonprofit executive recognized for her contributions to youth literacy, arts education, and spoken word poetry. Lane is the founder of Get Lit – Words Ignite, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing literacy rates and empowering youth and communities through poetry and visual media. The inspiration for Get Lit began with a solo slam poetry show that Lane toured with Jimmy Santiago Baca in venues including high schools, universities, and prisons. Following requests from teachers and students, Lane developed a curriculum designed to engage marginalized youth through spoken word. The Get Lit in-school curriculum is approved by the University of California as an A-G provider and is taught in more than 150 schools across the United States, reaching over 10,000 graduates annually.

Lane established the Get Lit Players, a teen poetry troupe that has performed at the White House, collaborated with the United Nations, and opened for John Legend at The Hollywood Bowl. The troupe performs each year for over 50,000 students, promoting arts education and social consciousness. The Get Lit Players were designated Peace Day Ambassadors by the United Nations and performed at the U.N. General Assembly as part of the global movement United Voices for Peace. Lane also created the annual Classic Slam, the largest youth classic poetry festival in the country. Her organization has been nominated by the Library of Congress for best practices in literacy and was named Outstanding Nonprofit Organization by the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Los Angeles Chapter.

Lane's creative work includes writing and starring in the one-woman show "Deep Sea Diving," also known as "Born Feet First," which toured educational and correctional institutions. As an author, Lane wrote "Words of Women," a collection of original monologues published by Samuel French, and "Get Lit Rising" from Simon & Schuster, which received the Nautilus Award. In film, Lane served as executive producer on the documentary "Our Words Collide," which premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and co-produced the film "Summertime," written by and starring 27 Get Lit poets and directed by Carlos López Estrada, which opened the Sundance Film Festival. She also creative directed and co-produced with the LA Phil the multimedia show "If I Awaken In Los Angeles," which premiered at The Ford in Los Angeles.

Lane and two Get Lit poets have been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Her work has been covered by the Los Angeles Times, CNN, NPR, and T.D. Jakes Show. Lane is a recipient of the James Patterson Page Turner Award for promoting literacy and the Presidential Lifetime Service Award. She is a graduate of the Annenberg Foundation's Alchemy + Leadership Program, a TEDx speaker, a Southern California Leadership Network Fellow, and a former member of the Mayor's Poet Laureate Committee. Lane's career centers on literacy, youth empowerment, arts advocacy, and the impact of creative expression in education.