A young man with a mustache and beard, wearing a knitted beanie, a light-colored shirt with dark striped accents, a necklace, and petting a dog. The background shows a wooden fence.

Heru Stewart, otherwise known as Ras Heru, is

a Newark, NJ. born poet, artist, event producer, and

elementary school teacher. A life-long writer with

years of performance, hosting, and producing

experience, Ras Heru is not only a profound artist,

but a multi-dimensional presence and contribution

to the region’s creative arts and literary realms.

In 2025, Heru founded HS1 Publishing. 

Beyond the creative arts Heru is a 5th grade English

Language Arts teacher and social advocate, often

aligning his creative ventures with causes, initiatives, and

other opportunities to create lasting social impact with

the same fervor and intention he allots to his work as an

artist and entrepreneur.

A man standing in front of a colorful poster for the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. The man is wearing a green beanie, a dark green shirt, khaki pants, and has his hands together in front of him.

Heru co-founded Rebel Ink Publishing,

which coincided with the release of his first, full volume

collection of poems, The Book of Heru: A Poet’s Portrait.

Rebel Ink went on to publish 9 more works of literature,

including 2020’s The Rubicon. Alongside Rebel Ink

Publishing, Ras Heru also executive produces Rhythm &

Words: Creative Writing, a creative writing and

performance fusion event.

A man standing outdoors in front of a large white and red poster with poetry at the Maplewood Black Lives Matter Poetry Project, surrounded by fallen leaves and buildings in the background.

STAY TUNED

for updates on Heru’s forthcoming works!

Heru has been published in the Platform Review, The Black Lives Matter Town Poetry

Exhibit , and was a Dodge Festival Poet at 2022’s Dodge Poetry Festival.