Jesús Papoleto Meléndez is one such artist on the cutting edge. He is the proud recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry. JPM is also one of the original founders of the Nuyorican poets' movement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k3B2KUnt0w
With the publication of his poem, "Message To Urban Sightseers" in Talking About Us (Appleton, Century, Crofts Publishers, New York, 1969), and the publication of his first volume of poetry, Casting Long Shadows (New York, 1970), Mr. Meléndez's poetry was at the inception of the movement. A proud Puerto Rican, originally from El Barrio (East Harlem), New York City, Jesús Papoleto Meléndez is a recipient of an Artist for Community Enrichment (ACE) Award from the Bronx Council on the Arts, New York (1995) and a COMBO (Combined Arts of San Diego)-NEA Fellowship in Literature, recognized "For his innovative multi-disciplinary works in poetry, playwriting, and performance art which speak with eloquence and compassion for society's victims of indifference, racism, and intolerance," (October, 1988).
http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=2645
Papoleto's career as a poetry-facilitator working in the public schools spans over 30 years, during which time he has coordinated many successful ‘Poetry/Creative Writing" workshops, impacting the lives of tens of thousands of young people. He has developed a unique workshop curriculum, which offers creative writing experiences for the youth, emphasizing poetic form and expression, while merging computer desktop publishing technology and techniques in the classroom.