Curriculum Vitae
Teaching Experience
December 2018 to Present
Instructor, Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop
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Created and taught an introductory poetry classes at Stillwater and Shakopee prisons
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Gave written feedback on students' poems and essays.
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Trained to teach or volunteer in any state prison.
Fall Semester 2018, Fall Semester 2019
Teaching Assistant, Hamline University
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Teaching assistant for Hamline’s Intro to Creative Writing class with Richard Pelseter-Weibe in 2018.
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Teaching assistant for Hamline’s Advanced Poetry Workshop class with Gretchen Marquette in 2019.
Spring Semester 2018
Teaching Assistant, Normandale Community College, Introduction to Creative Writing
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Assisted the Creative Writing Department Chair, Kris Bigalk, in planning class activities and learning goals.
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Conducted tutoring sessions and held office hours.
April 2018
Teaching Artist, The Queer Trans Indigenous People of Color (QTIPOC) Conference
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Taught “Queer Poems of Protest” to conference participants.
April 2017 to Present
Teaching Artist, The Loft Literary Center
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Taught a poetry writing classes such as “Reclaiming Language Through Form: A Poet’s Guide” to highlight writers of color’s use of poetic form as an act of resistance against Euro-centric writing practices.
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Created a multi-session curriculums.
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Met with board members to make a pay-what-you-can class.
September 2016 to June 2017
Instructor, Anwatin Middle School
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Established the middle school’s first ever Spoken Word and Poetry Club.
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Co-facilitated an after school homework help club through The Sanneh Foundation.
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Met weekly with 6th grade math, science, language arts, and social studies teachers to discuss student challenges and how to address them as a team.
December 2015 to June 2016
Instructor, Central High School
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Led the after school Spoken Word and Poetry Club.
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Tutored freshmen and sophomores in their English and math classes.
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Assisted math teachers with small study groups and keeping classroom order.
March 2015 to July 2015
Instructor, Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School
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Taught poetry and spoken word to 3rd through 5th graders.
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Participated and organized field trips as well as curated outside class performances.
January 2014
Instructor, Bancroft Elementary School
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Hosted two spoken word and poetry clubs for 1st and 2nd graders as well as 3rd through 5th graders.
June 2012 to September 2012
Instructor, North Commons Park
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Created, programmed, and implemented a city-wide spoken word and poetry network for youth ages 12-19 in Minneapolis.
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Formed partnerships with North Minneapolis business and nonprofits for materials and community gatherings.
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Led performances, organized speakers, and planned field trips.
Education
Graduate School
Hamline University, December 2019 Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing
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Took Composition and Pedagogy to learn techniques for teaching a composition writing class.
Undergraduate School
Carleton College, March 2015 Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Psychology; Minor: Africana Studies
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Senior Thesis Title: Is Poetry A Therapeutic Tool To Heal Survivors of Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence?
Editorial and Contest Judge Work
September 2019 to Present: Writing Coach for Tyler Sit's book, Staying Awake (forthcoming in 2021)
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Researched anti-racist and queer theory texts to use in Staying Awake, a memoir centered in liberation theology.
March 2019: Judge, Poetry Out Loud Contest
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Helped judge the annual Poetry Out Loud recitation contest for high schoolers
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Assisted in selecting the state winner who would go on to the national completion.
Spring 2018: Poetry Editorial Board Member, Water~Stone Review
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Compiled and approved poetry submissions with other board members to create the 2018 edition of Water~Stone Review.
Fall 2017: Intern, Coffee House Press
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Read through slush piles sent to the press and created marketing reports for the head publishing editor
Spring 2017: Judge, Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose for The Loft Literary Center
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Was a first round judge for 2017-2018 poetry applicants of The Loft’s Mentor Series
Fall 2013: Intern, Office for United States Congressman Keith Ellison
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Wrote and edited speeches for Congressman Ellison
Conferences and Workshops
Participant, Century College's Summer Acceleration Training with Dr. Sim Barhoum and Mark Manasse
Participant, 2019 Tin House Winter Workshop, led by Erica Dawson
Participant, 2018 Voices of Our Nation Arts Workshop (VONA), led by Patricia Smith
Planning team and organizer, 2018 QTIPOC Conference
Selected Classes Taught
Winter 2020: The Poetics of Hip-Hop at Stillwater Prison
Fall 2019: Poetry - A World of Forms at Shakopee Prison (Co-taught with Sam Stokley)
Spring 2019: The Poetics of Hip-Hop at Stillwater Prison
Spring 2019: American Mythology Through Poetry and Prose at The Loft Literary Center
Spring 2018: Queer Poems of Protest at The QTIPOC Conference
Spring 2017: Reclaiming Language Through Form, A POC Poet’s Guide at The Loft Literary Center
Fall 2016 to Spring 2017: Poetry and Spoken Word at Anwatin Middle School
Winter 2015 to Spring 2016: Poetry and Spoken Word at Central High School
Spring 2015 to Summer 2015: Poetry and Spoken Word at Nellie Stone Johnson Elementary School
Winter 2014: Poetry and Spoken Word at Bancroft Elementary School
Summer 2012 to Fall 2012: Spoken Summer: A Poetry and Spoken Word Workshop at North Commons Park
Classes Assisted in Teaching
Fall 2019: Advanced Poetry Workshop at Hamline University
Fall 2018: Introduction to Creative Writing at Hamline University
Spring 2018: Introduction to Creative Writing at Normandale Community College
Awards, Fellowships, and Nominations
2019 Excellence in Teaching Fellow presented by The Loft Literary Center
2018 First Runner-Up for the Los Angeles Review Flash Fiction Contest
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Flash fiction, "To My Dear Friend: Letters from the Desk of President Jefferson"
2018 Forward Prize Nominee for Individual Work
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Poem, "To My Grandfather Who Voted with Guns"
2018 Winner of the Landlocked Magazine Poetry Contest
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Poem, “Mississippi in Three Parts” selected as winner by Ely Shipley, presented by Landlocked Magazine
2018 Winner of the Community Excellence Award presented by University of Minnesota’s Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life
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Honored for contributions to the queer and trans community for the 2018 QTIPOC Conference with other conference planning team members
2016-2017 Poetry Winner of the Mentor Series in Poetry and Creative Prose presented by The Loft Literary Center
2017 1st Place Winner of the Still I Rise Grant presented by Alternating Current Press
2017 Finalist for the Best of the Net Prize presented by Sundress Publications
2017 Nominee of the Pushcart Prize presented by Alternating Current Press
2017 Finalist for the Charter Oak Awards presented by Footnote #4: A Literary Journal of History
2016 Fellow, The Givens Foundation for African American Literature
Publications
Forthcoming: Two poems, "To Be Soft " and "Communion" to be published in Diode Poetry
Forthcoming: One poem “The Ballad of Luella and the Tame Parrott," to be published in Footnote #4: A Literary Journal of History
March 2020: One flash fiction story, "To My Dear Friend: Letters from the Desk of President Jefferson," published in The Los Angeles Review.
December 2019: One poem, "Ode to the Decrepit Auction Block Seen on the Way to My Grandfather's House," published in Yemassee
March 2019: One creative nonfiction essay, "Proper Nouns," published in Permafrost Magazine
February 2019 to Present: Book review editor for Hematopoiesis Press
December 2018: One poem, "Misplaced Litany," published in Cosmonauts Avenue
December 2018: One blog post, "Beyond Toni Morrison: Top Twin Cities Bookstores for Buying Books by People of Color," published in The Water~Stone Review Blog
October 2018: Two poems, "Self Portrait as a Chair" and "Constellations" published in The Indianapolis Review
October 2018: One poem, "Why Not to Pick Scabs," reprinted in Nat.Brut
October 2018: One poem, "How to Tell If You're Dead," published in Midway Journal
August 2018: One poem, “Mississippi in Three Parts," published in Landlocked Magazine
July 2018: One book review, What Happens When A Man Falls From the Sky, published in Runestone Literary Journal
July 2018: Two poems (featured poet for National Black Poetry Day), "Inventory of a Black Girl" and "Gourmet Ars Poetica," published in Aquifer: The Florida Review Online
June 2018: One poem, "Why Not to Pick Scabs," published in Burningword Literary Journal
April 2018: One poem, “To My Grandfather, Who Voted with Guns," published in The A3 Review
October 2017: One article, “WeChat in China and Casual Anti-Blackness," published in There She Goes
June 2017: One poem “Alternate Names for Poetry” and one creative nonfiction essay “On Being" published in The Coil.
Selected Readings and Readings Hosted
April 27th, 2019: Co-hosted The Great Twin Cities Poetry Read with Anthony Ceballos at Moon Palace Bookstore
June 2018 to Present: Co-host of the bi-monthly Read and Response Series with Anthony Ceballos at Subtext Bookstore
May 14th, 2018: Featured poet at the University of Minnesota’s 2018 Future Services Institute Summit
April 28th, 2017: Reader for The Great Twin Cities Poetry Read with Poetry Asylum at Moon Palace Bookstore
September 29th, 2017: Emcee and featured reader for Lit Crawl at The Public Functionary
May 9th, 2017: Fellow performance for The Loft Literary Center’s Mentor Series Reading at Open Book