5 Black Poets You Need To Know Right Now

Poetry is a sort of magic and we’re big fans of Black Girl magic. We’ve curated a list of some of our favorite spoken word artists and poets who are making a positive impact with their words. Drop down the name of your favorite spoken word artist or poet so we can check them out.

AJA MONET

Aja Monet is a singer, educator, and poet from Brooklyn, NY. She is the youngest person to win the legendary Nuyorican Poet’s Café Grand Slam title at the age of 19. She is an advocate for #SayHerName, a campaign which aims to highlight police brutality against Black women. She has also contributed to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa. Check her out on Twitter @aja_monet.

WARSAN SHIRE

You may have heard her name in Beyonce’s critically acclaimed 6th solo studio album Lemonade where she lends her words to the musician. Born to Somalian parents, Shire is a British writer, poet and teacher who won the inaugural Brunel University African Poetry Prize in 2013. Her work focuses on immigrants and other marginalized groups whose voices are often not heard or ignored. You can check her out on her instagram.

ALYSIA NICOLE HARRIS

Alysia is an American Atlanta based poet with a penchant for travel. She has gifted her poetry far and wide and toured various places such as Germany, Canada and the United Nations. She is also a Cave Canem fellow who won the Stephen Dunn Poetry Prize in 2014 and 2015. Her poetry focuses on pain, beauty, guilt, faith, failure, and joy. You can visit her website to learn more.

MAHOGANY L. BROWNE

Mahogany is an American poet who was born in California but later moved to Brooklyn New York. Her work focuses on empowering women and girls. She’s serves as the Friday Night Slam curator and Poetry Program director at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Lower Manhattan. She was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work in Poetry and serves as the Black lives Matter program coordinator at Pratt institute.

Amanda Gorman

You may have heard the name Amanda Gorman in recent times, starting with her impactful poem titled “The Hills We Climb” which was recited at the 2021 Presidential inauguration. She is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history and is also the recipient for the Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award. Some of the topics her work focuses on include feminism, race, and oppression. You can check her out here.

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Minerve Jean is a Haitian-born storyteller who shares her poetry and writings unapologetically. She believes in the power of words and their ability to help and heal. Her debut book For The Secrets That Gave Themselves Away is an anthology of raw poetry where she uses words to paint pictures that will resonate with the human soul. She has also contributed pieces to Hercampus, Orange and Blue Magazine and MLNNYC. In her free time, she likes to snack on Avocado toast and curl up with a good book.