EDUCATION
Antioch University Los Angeles, M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Spelman College, B.A. in English (Presidential Scholar)
Tin House Summer Writer’s Workshop, Reed College
VONA Writing Workshop, University of San Francisco
Idyllwild Poetry Intensive Workshop (Bibby Scholar)
Institute for Spanish Language Acquisition, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Ecole France Langue, Nice, France
TEACHING AND LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
Poetry workshop facilitator, African American Policy Forum
Writing workshop facilitator and performer, Wanderlust Festival Whistler, Canada
English Professor, West Los Angeles College, Cerritos College, Rio Hondo College
Academic consultant/tutor, Antioch University Los Angeles
Poetry workshop facilitator, Los Angeles Annual Empowerment Conference for CSEC youth
Facilitator/creative writing teacher, New Roads for New Visions
Curriculum development and creative writing teacher, Inside Out Writers
Faculty, Brave New Voices Workshop
English department tutor, Santa Monica College
Creative writing teacher, Community Harvest Charter School
AWARDS/ HONORS
Commissioned poet, In a Perfect World foundation Ambassador of Change gala honoring Quincy Jones
American Embassy guest artist: Kuwait, Russia, West Africa, Denmark, Turkey, Greece, Ireland, England, Tunisia
TEDWomen Conference guest performer
Poet-in-residence, Culver Academies
Writer-in-residence, Hedgebrook
Youth Arts Council Committee, Jewish Women’s Theatre
AWARE Center honored performer, Kuwait
KCET.com’s “Children of Slam” (Selected feature poet)
Top ranking female poet in the nation (NPS)
PUBLICATIONS/FEATURES
De La Soul’s “Royalty Capes” and “Poetic Greed” (writer/vocals)
Brand New Heavies “We Won’t Stop” (writer/vocals)
HBO’s Def Poetry (“You Move Me” and “Somewhere there is a Poem”)
TVOne’s Verses & Flow (“My Baby Cousin” and “Open Letter to Absent Fathers”)
Thrive Global, May 2018 (“Passport to Peace of Mind,” “Speak up or Pass the Mic”)
ForHarriet.com, July 2017 (Passport to Peace of Mind), May 2015 (Speak up or Pass the Mic), Oct.2014 (How Lenny Kravitz Changed the Tapestry of American Music)
SIXFOLD Literary Magazine, 2015 (“Dementia”, “His”, “Our Last Days”, “Angry Fireflies”, “Being Angry with God”)
Mills College’s literary journal, 580 Split Issue 12, 2010
(“Invisible” and “Love Sees No Color, But People Sho’Nuff Do”)
Complexions, an anthology of African American slam poets (“My Black is the Color of Sunshine”)
AOL.com’s Black Voices Poetry Café (“Mammy”)
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
English composition, academic essays, creative writing, African American literature, free verse poetry, poetry as a therapeutic tool, public speaking, at-risk teens, academic development, career counseling, mentorship, certified to teach distance learning (online)
VENUE LIST (appeared as featured poet, performer, vocalist, speaker or guest lecturer)
University of Miami, FL
St. Martin’s, Seattle Washington
Jacksonville University, FL
Missouri Western State
Webster University, St. Louis Missouri
University of South Mississippi
Polytechnic University, Brooklyn New York
Oakwood School (high school) North Hollywood, Ca.
University of the Pacific, Stockton, Ca.
Converse College, South Carolina
Mary Baldwin College, Virginia
Bennett College, Greensboro, NC
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
U of South Carolina, Spartenburg
U of Alabama, Birmingham
Old Dominion, Norfolk, Virginia
University of Southern California
Wichita State, Wichita Kansas
UNC Wilmington
UNC Charlotte
UC Santa Cruz
University of Cincinnati
Northeastern University, Boston MA
University of Illinois, Springfield
Florida Atlantic University
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Mount Union College, Alliance, Ohio
Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio
Hope College, Holland, Michigan
Heidelberg College, Tiffin, Ohio
Ohio State University—Mansfield
Michigan State University—Flint
John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio
Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio
Aurora University, Grand Rapids, Michigan
University of Central Missouri
American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
Florida International University—Biscayne Bay
Texas State University
Nuyorican Poets Café, New York, NY
California African American Museum, Los Angeles, Ca.
Vincennes University, Vincennes, Indiana
Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah, Georgia
Beyu Café, Durham, North Carolina
National Association for Campus Activities spotlight showcase (5 conferences)
University of West Georgia
University of Eastern Illinois
University of Florida
University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Marietta College, Ohio
Slippery Rock University, Pittsburg, PA
Natural Essence fashion show, Tampa, FL
University of Wyoming
Winston Salem State University, North Carolina
Harvard University
Berea College, Berea, Kentucky
UC Berkeley
Antioch University Los Angeles
Hotel Cafe, Hollywood
Cal State Long Beach
Le Petit Ermitage, West Hollywood
Ha Ha Cafe, North Hollywood
Omni Hotel, Los Angeles, Spelman College Jazz Brunch
University of South Carolina
Culver Academies, Culver, Indiana
Hayworth Theatre, Los Angeles, Ca.
Beyond Baroque, Venice, Ca.
Mavericks Flat, Los Angeles, Ca.
Richard Bland College, Petersburg, VA
Virginia State University
Miami University, Ohio
Renaissance Hotel, Denver, Colorado (DST Sorority, Inc. Founder’s Day)
Cal State East Bay
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles
Culture Project Theatre, NYC
Hammer Museum, Los Angeles
Vassar College, New York
INTERNATIONAL VENUES
Al-Babtain Poetry Library, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Aware Cultural Center, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Cafe Universal, Paris, France
Opus Cafe, Paris, France
Ural State University, Yekaterinburg, Russia
Perm Theatre, Perm, Russia
University of Lome, Togo, West Africa
Polytechnic University of Ghana, West Africa
House of Poetry, Copenhagen, Denmark
Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey
Club Ghetto, Istanbul, Turkey
Melanithros Art Space, Athens, Greece
Athens University, Athens, Greece
American College of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Derry Playhouse, Derry-London Derry, Ireland
The Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts, Belfast, Ireland
Manchester University, Manchester, UK
Loreto College, Manchester, UK
Club Tahar Haddad, Tunis, Tunisia
Faculty of Humanities University, Tunis, Tunisia
Space of Wisdom School, Sfaz, Tunisia
Olympic Plaza, Whistler, Canada