Akua Lezli Hope

Poet

Corning, NY
New York US
Email: 
akualezli@gmail.com
Website: 
www.akualezlihope.com
Twitter/X: 
@AkuaLezliHope

Author's Bio

Writers Retreats: 
Ragdale

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Blackk Fire This Time (Aquarius Press, 2022)
,
Algeria and Resurrections in 50/50 Poems and Translations by Women over 50 (QuillsEdge Press, 2018)
,
THE CRAFTY POET II (Terrapin Books, 2016)
,
THE DOLL COLLECTION (Terrapin Books, 2016)
,
The Million-Line Poem (Tupelo Press, 2015)
,
100 Best African American Poems (Source Books, 2010)
,
10X10 (Cave Canem, 2006)
,
Language of Color: Writers Respond to the Paintings of Georgia O’Keefe (Writers & Books, 2006)
,
Knocking on the Silence (Foothills Publishing, 2005)
,
My Soul To His Spirit: Soulful Expressions From Black Daughters To Their Fathers (SoulDictates Publishing, 2005)
,
Cave Canem Anthology 2002 (Cave Canem, 2003)
,
Glass Works (Pudding House Publications, 2003)
,
The Year's Best Writing (Writer's Digest Books, 2003)
,
Dark Matter (Warner Books, 2000)
,
WORDS OF WISDOM, Poet’s Theater 20th Anniversary Anthology (H&H Press, 2000)
,
Blue Light Corner (Three Rivers Press, 1998)
,
MASK (Earth's Daughters, 1998)
,
SisterFire (Harper Collins, 1994)
,
Writing From the New Coast: Technique (Garlic Press, 1993)
,
Erotique Noire (Anchor Books, 1992)
,
Black and In Brooklyn (Universal Black Writers Press, 1983)
,
Confirmation,, anthology of Afrikan-American women writers (Quill Books, 1983)
,
Extended Outlooks, the Iowa Review Anthology of Contemporary American women writers (Collier Books, 1983)
,
Woman Poet East (Women in Literature, 1981)
,
Ordinary Women (Ordinary Women Books, 1978)
,
Johari II (Center for New Images, 1975)
,
Johari I (Center for New Images, 1974)
,
Keeping the Faith, anthology of Black American Women Writers (Fawcett Books, 1974)
Books:
TELEPATH (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2026)
,
OTHERWHERES (Artfarm Press, 2020)
,
THEM GONE (Word Works, 2018)
,
Embouchure Poems on Jazz & Other Musics (Artfarm Press, 1995)
,
LoveCycles (Center for New Images, 1976)
Journals:
African American Review
,
Asimov's Science Fiction
,
Black American Literary Forum
,
Black Scholar
,
Blue Cage
,
Bluecage
,
BOMB Magazine
,
Bopp
,
Breath and Shadow
,
Catalyst Magazine
,
Chain
,
Conditions
,
Contact II
,
Cossack Review
,
Earth's Daughters
,
Essence Magazine
,
Eye to the Telescope
,
Eyeball Magazine
,
Fireweed
,
Fireweed Journal
,
Freshtones
,
Gyroscope Review
,
Hambone
,
Health Affairs: Narrative Matters
,
Hoodoo
,
Ikon
,
Iron Horse Literary Review
,
Killens Review of Arts & Letters
,
Meanderings
,
Minerva Rising
,
Moondance Magazine
,
New Verse News
,
Obsidian II: Black Literature in Review
,
Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora
,
Poeming Pigeon
,
Poets Reading the News
,
Rattle
,
Shooting Star Review
,
Silver Blade
,
Starline
,
Stone Canoe
,
Strange Horizons
,
Sub-saharan Magazine
,
Sunbury
,
The Font
,
Three Coyotes
,
West Wind Review
,
Wordgathering
,
Yellow Chair Review
Prizes won: 

DIVINATIONS: poetry and art objects, won a 2026 NYSCA SCR Individual Artist Grant

Best of the Net Nomination for Black Orpheus V in Synkroniciti

Rhysling 2025 Short Poem Honorable Mention for Generation Ship

Rhysling 2025 Short Poem Nomination for New Homestead

Rhysling 2025 Long Poem Nominations for Melissa, and Giant Robot and His Person

Dwarf Star Award Nominations 2025  for “Andromedan Spring”, “Halloween terror..”, “in the cold night park…”

Synkroniciti, Identity Poetry Contest winner, 2025, for “Black Orpheus V”

2024 27th Annual Critters Readers' Poll Best Poem “Giant Robot and his Person”

Grant for Speculative Sundays Poetry Reading Series from The Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, 2025

2024 IGNYTE Award for Best Poem “My mother, she ate me”

6th Annual Halloween Horror Haiku Contest 2nd Place Winner

Rhysling Award Long Poem Honorable Mention 2024 for Pilot

Dwarf Stars Award Nomination 2024 for “gondoliers strum strings”

2024 Individual Artist Grant from NYSCA for Disability Poetics

2023 5th Annual Halloween Horror Haiku Contest  Winner 

2023 Igbo Landing II, third place in Rhysling Awards for long poems

2022 Grandmaster of Fantastic Poetry (SFPA)

2022 Individual Artist Grant from New York State Council on the Arts

2021 Elgin Award for Otherwheres

 2021 and 2020 Individual Artist Grant from the Arts Council of the Southern Finger Lakes

3 Best of the Net Nominations 2021, 6 Rhysling Award Nominations, 3 Pushcart Prize Nominations 2019, 2021, Iron Horse Review, Photofinish contest winner, 2016, 2015 Bryant-Lisembee Editor's Prize, 2015 short poem Science Fiction Poetry Association Award, Poets Respond 2015, 2016; National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry, two New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowships for Poetry, Ragdale U.S.-Africa Fellowship, Artists Crossroads Grant, Hurston Wright writers scholarship, Walker Foundation Scholarship to Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, Poet-in-Residence, Chautauqua Institution, Writer's Digest Book Award, Cave Canem Fellow. Artist Crossroads Grant from The Arts of the Southern Finger Lakes; poet in residence at The Chatauqua Institute; 2015 Word Works Washington Prize finalist; Barnard New Women Poets Series finalist, Open Voice finalist, MacDonald's Black Literary Achievement Award finalist; Walt Whitman Award finalist; and Awardee in Non-rhyming Poetry, Writer's Digest competition

Personal Favorites

What I'm reading now: 
Citizen by Claudia Rankine, The Book for My Brother by Tomaz Salamun, The Pink Box by Yesenia Montilla, Voyage of the Sable Venus by Robin Coste Lewis

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American, Black, Caribbean American
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
New York, NY
New York
Raised in: 
New York City, NY
New York
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Mar 06, 2026