Aziza Barnes

Aziza Danielle Bailey Barnes (born October 1992) is an American poet.[1] Barnes frequently performs slam poetry and has performed at the Da Poetry Lounge, Urban Word NYC, PBS NewsHour and Nuyoricans Poets Cafe.[2]

Education

Barnes received their B.A from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.[3] They received their MFA from the University of Mississippi.[4]

Career

Barnes is the author of the chapbook me Aunt Jemima and the nailgun (2013), which won an Exploding Pinecone Prize from Button Poetry.[5] Their full-length collection, i be but i ain’t (2016), won a Pamet River Prize from YesYes Books.[6] They are the cofounder of the Poetry Gods podcast and the co-founder of The Conversation Literary Festival.[7][8] Barnes wrote the play BLKS, which played at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.[9] Their upcoming collection, The Blind Pig will be released by Not A Cult media.[10]

BLKS

BLKS centers around the story of four black millennial friends, Octavia, June, Ry and Imani, who share a New York City apartment.[11] The play has been called "comedic social realism" and is a "day in the life" style of work.[12] The production has been compared to the TV Show Girls.[13] BLKS was originally Barnes' final thesis project at NYU.[14]

Actors Nora Carroll (Octavia), Leea Ayers (June), Danielle Davis (Ry) and Celeste M. Cooper (Imani) performed in the Steppenwolf's Theatre Company's rendition of BLKS.[12][15] The show was directed by Nataki Garrett and artistic director Anna D. Shapiro. The show debuted on December 18, 2017,[16] and ran through January 28, 2018.

Awards
  • 2015 Winter Tangerine Award[17][18]
  • 2013 NYU Grey Art Gallery Prize for Radical Presence
  • Emerging Poets fellowship at Poets House[19]
  • Cave Canem Fellow[20]
  • Antonyo Award for Best Play for BLKS [21]

Personal life

Barnes is black, and identifies as queer.[12] They are originally from, and currently live in, Los Angeles.[2][22] Barnes was born with a polycystic ovary and as such grows facial hair. They use they/their/them pronouns.[12]

References
  1. "5 Poems – [PANK]". [PANK]. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  2. "A Queer Black Poet's Quest for Liberation". Vice. June 3, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  3. Lichtenstein, Jesse (August 12, 2018). "How Poetry Came to Matter Again". The Atlantic. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  4. Barnes, Aziza (August 19, 2016). "Aziza Barnes". Aziza Barnes. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  5. "Aziza Barnes". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. August 23, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "YesYes Books | Home | Product Page". YesYes Books | Home. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  7. "The Vernacular Music of Aziza Barnes' i be but i ain't". Electric Literature. November 25, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  8. "The Next Generation of Black Poets: Cave Canem Fellows and Friends | African American Poetry & Poetics | University of Pittsburgh". www.caapp.pitt.edu. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  9. "Robert O'Hara Will Direct New York Premiere of Aziza Barnes' BLKS | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. "Aziza Barnes, Author at Not a Cult". Not a Cult. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. Lola, Candice (January 12, 2018). "Aziza Barnes' "BLKS" Delivers a Gorgeous Snapshot of Real Life That You'd Better Not Miss". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  12. Hayford, Justin. "Aziza Barnes's BLKS needs to take itself more srsly". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  13. Vitello, Barbara (December 20, 2017). "20-somethings negotiate friendship, intimacy in Steppenwolf's uneven 'BLKS'". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  14. "Poet And Playwright Aziza Barnes Brings 'BLKS' To Steppenwolf". WBEZ. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  15. Tube, Stage. "VIDEO: Behind the Scenes with BLKS Playwright Aziza Barnes". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  16. Tube, Stage. "VIDEO: Behind the Scenes with BLKS Playwright Aziza Barnes". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  17. "The Conversation". Winter Tangerine. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  18. "My Dad Asks "How Come Black People Can't Just Write About Flowers?"". Winter Tangerine. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  19. "Neyat Yohannes on "i be, but i ain't," by Aziza Barnes". VAGABOND CITY. February 2, 2017. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  20. "Voices of Bettering American Poetry 2015 — Lauren Russell | VIDA: Women in Literary Arts". www.vidaweb.org. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  21. Appler, Michael. "Audra McDonald, LaChanze & Celia Rose Gooding Win at Broadway Black's Inaugural Antonyo Awards". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  22. "Issue Twenty: A Conversation with Aziza Barnes | The Adroit Journal". The Adroit Journal. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
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