Angel Nafis (born December 1988)[1] is an American poet and spoken word artist. She is the author of BlackGirl Mansion (Red Beard Press / New School Poetics, 2012).[2] She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Early life
Nafis grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan,[3] where she attended Huron High School.[4] She struggled through school, but graduated in 2006.[5][4] She was on the Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team in 2005 and 2006.[4]
She was raised Muslim.[6] Her mother died when she was young, so she was raised by her father.[5] Her father's family was from New York and Georgia.[7] Her mother's family was from Chicago and Mississippi.[7]
Nafis is a Cave Canem fellow, the recipient of a Millay Colony residency, and the founder and curator of the Greenlight Bookstore Poetry Salon's readings and writing workshops.[2][9]
With poet Morgan Parker, she runs The Other Black Girl Collective, a Black feminist poetry duo that tours internationally.[2][8]
Her work has appeared in outlets including the BreakBeat Poets Anthology, Buzzfeed Reader, the Rumpus, Poetry, Found Magazine's Requiem for a Paper Bag, Decibels, The Rattling Wall, Union Station Magazine, The Bear River Review, MUZZLE Magazine, Prelude Mag, Sixth Finch, and Mosaic Magazine.[8][10][11][12][13]
Personal life
Nafis lives in Brooklyn[14] with artist, writer, and musician Shira Erlichman, with whom she is in a relationship.[2][15] Together, they toured for the "Odes for You" tour.[16][17][18][19][20]
In June 2020, Nafis and hundreds of other poets signed an open letter to the Poetry Foundation asking for the immediate resignation of both president Henry Bienen and board of trustees chair Willard Bunn III, as well as other demands relating to the foundation's response to the murder of George Floyd.[21]
Awards and honors
Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship from the Poetry Foundation (2016)[2][22]
NEA Creative Writing fellowship[8]
Bibliography
Books
BlackGirl Mansion (Red Beard Press/ New School Poetics, 2012).[2]
Selected list of published poems
References
^""So if I am a tender writer... then my poems should be everything that I am." An interview with Angel Nafis". Catapult. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^ a b c d e f g"Angel Nafis". Poetry Foundation. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^Storey, Kate (2013-04-26). "Tales from the 20s". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^ a b c"Huron graduate Angel Nafis wins national poetry fellowship". AAPS District News. 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^ a b"Why I teach creative writing". AnnArbor.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^"Dinnerview: Angel Nafis". entropymag.org. Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^ a b"The Conversation: Angel Nafis, Safia Elhillo, and Elizabeth Acevedo". The Rumpus.net. 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^ a b c d e"Angel Nafis". Brooklyn Poets. 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^Young, Yolanda (23 April 2019). "These Queer Poets Expand on Black Life Through Their Work". The Root. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^"Angel Nafis – Heels on Wheels". Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^"People | Angel Nafis | The Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University". heymancenter.org. Archived from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^ a b"Ode to Lois". Prelude. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^"Sixth Finch - Fall 2015 - Angel Nafis - ODE TO VOICEMAIL". sixthfinch.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^Ogunseitan, Coryna (3 March 2017). "#relationshipgoals". yaledailynews.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^"Eight Black LGBTQ Poets to Give Your Flowers To Right Now". Autostraddle. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"The Odes for You tour featuring Shira Erlichman & Angel Nafis". Women & Children First. 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"Wisconsin Book Festival". Wisconsin Book Festival. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"Poetry at Literati: Angel Nafis and Shira Erlichman | Literati Bookstore". www.literatibookstore.com. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"Odes for You Tour Co-Sponsored by Poetry Center of Chicago". The Chicago Poetry Center. 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"Poets Call for Change at Poetry Foundation". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"2016 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship Winners Announced - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive". Windy City Times. September 2016. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
^"Ghazal for Becoming Your Own Country by Angel Nafis". Poetry Magazine. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^"Poem: "Woo Woo Roll Deep"". BuzzFeed News. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
^"Angel Nafis by Angel Nafis". Poetry Magazine. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^Nafis, Angel (24 December 2017). "A Poem for Your Tired Queer Ass". them. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^"Ode to Shea Butter". Prelude. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^"Sixth Finch - Fall 2015 - Angel Nafis - ODE TO VOICEMAIL". sixthfinch.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
^"National Poetry Month Day 31: "Why R&B First Thing In The Morning, Why R&B Above All" by Angel Nafis". The Rumpus.net. 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
