Asani Charles

Poet

Forney, TX
Texas US

Author's Bio

Asani Charles, Choctaw/Chickasaw/African American, begins her days with the ringing of a school bell. She is a high school English teacher who enjoys teaching post-modernism and Multicultural Literature. After a lifetime in their native Southern California, Asani and her family moved cross-country to Dallas, Texas, where she spends her weekends listening to American Indian radio and watching college softball. Her poetry has appeared in Yellow Medicine Review, Love You Madly; Poetry about Jazz, Indian Country Today, Dress Codes, and the critically acclaimed Sing: Poetry from the Indigenous Americas. She is the author of Wordsongs for Grandmas

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Sing (University of Arizona Press, 2011)
,
Ahani: Indigenous American Poetry reprint (University of Arizona Press, 2010)
,
I Was Indian (Foothills Publishing, 2009)
Book:
Wordsongs for Grandmas (Seven Kitchens Press, 2023)
Journals:
Red Ink Magazine
,
To Topos
, ,
Yukhika-Latuhse (She tells us Stories)

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Rita Dove, Louise Erdrich, Nikki Giovanni, Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor
What I'm reading now: 
Born a crime by Trevor Noah, Under the feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American, Mixed-Race, Native American
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English, Spanish
Born in: 
San Francisco
Raised in: 
Los Angeles, CA
California
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Mar 25, 2024