Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman

Spoken Word Artist

DC
District Of Columbia US

Author's Bio

Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. is the 2023-2026 Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, MD.  She is author of the book The Summoning of Black Joy (2023), the children's book Mariah's Maracas (2018) and co-editor of the book Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture (2022). She is a cultural curator, community organizer, theatre producer, director, nationally recognized speaker, and multi-genre writer. She is a Winter 2023 Watering Hole poetry fellow, a 2019 Theatre Alliance Quadrant Playwright, a 2019 Fulbright-Hays GPA Scholar and 2015 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Awardee. She served as the 2019-20 Scholar-in-Residence at the Prince George's County African American Museum and Cultural Center.

Her poems and plays have been staged, workshopped and read on dozens of stages, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Baltimore Theatre Project, Theatre Alliance DC and the Anacostia Playhouse.  She is a professional member of The Dramatists Guild, The  Recording Academy and the Association of African American Museums. 

Dr. Ali-Coleman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (African American Studies and Mass Media) and a minor in Writing from the University of Maryland Baltimore, County; a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Towson University and a doctorate in education from Morgan State University. She is currently the executive director of Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice (BWPSJ).

Learn more by visiting KhadijahAli-Coleman.com and LiberatedMuse.com

Publications & Prizes

Performances:
Capital Hill Arts Workshop (2009)
,
PTO Conference 2009 (2009)
,
Seen But Not Heard Benefit Show (2009)
,
The Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest (2009)
,
The Potter's House (2009)
,
DC Arts Center (2008)
,
Alexandria Public Library System ()
,
Busboys and Poets ()
,
Mosaic Literary Conference ()
,
Prince George's County Public Library System ()
,
RWA Authors Pavillion ()
,
Smithsonian Anacostia Museum ()
,
Southeast Ministry ()
,
United States Peace Corps ()
,
Urban Arts & Music Cafe ()
,
WHUR 96.3 FM ()
,
WPFW 89.3 FM ()
Prizes won: 

Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council Artist Fellowship

Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award 

FORTY Under 40 in Arts & Humanities (PGCSIF) 

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Toni Morrison Lucille Clifton Zora Neale Hurston Randall Robinson

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Washington
Raised in: 
Washington, DC
District Of Columbia
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Oct 15, 2024