Marlana-Patrice Pugh Hamer

Poet, Spoken Word Artist

San Tan Valley, AZ
Arizona US
Email: 
marlanapph2008@gmail.com
Website: 
linktr.ee/marlanapph
Twitter/X: 
@MarlanaPatrice

Author's Bio

Marlana-Patrice Pugh Hamer (She/Her) is an award-winning poet, writer, performer, public speaker, educator, and volunteer/activist. She has a BA in English. Also, an MEd in Curriculum & Instruction. Her poetry and nonfiction have appeared in various anthologies. Most recently, Poems in Praise of Libraries (World Stage Press, 2024). Also, Dimepiece: Ten Years of CLI Poetry (World Stage Press, 2023). Her debut poetry collection is Taking Off My Black & White Saddle Shoes: Cleveland Poems. It is a memoir in verse spanning from her birth to the present (World Stage Press, 2024). worldstagepress.org.

Marlana-Patrice is a veteran English and reading teacher who has taught on many levels, including teaching Freshman Composition at Purdue University. Both a lifelong teacher and a lifelong learner, she is currently a Teaching Assistant with Community Literature Initiative (CLI). communitylit.org.

A native Clevelander, Marlana-Patrice caught the open mic bug before taking an early retirement and relocating to the Phoenix Metro area in Arizona. She performs as "Marlana-Patrice." Currently, her main career goals are to read more and to write more daily. Also to perform more. To date, one of her most memorable open mics was performing at the iconic Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center during a Los Angeles Poet Society event. She is also recognized as one of the top Spoken Word Performers in Arizona.

Marlana-Patrice is a proud member of various poetry and writing organizations as well as groups, including The Langston Hughes Society, The Haiku Society of America, the Poetry Society of America, and the Arizona State Poetry Society. 

She also has a variety of other interests including photography, walking, hiking, yoga, decorating, cooking, and gardening. Additionally, she enjoys volunteering for groups like Mission for Arizona and Save Our Schools Arizona. She is a Project Humanities 101 Founder (ASU) who helps fund diverse programs including a monthly homeless outreach and the annual Hacks for Humanity.

Publications & Prizes

Poetry

Anthologies:
1619 Speaks: An Anthology of African American Poets (World Stage Press, 2023)
,
Dimepiece: Ten Years of CLI Poetry (World Stage Press, 2023)
,
Say It Loud! Poems About James Brown (Whirlwind Press, 2011)
,
Vending Machine: Poetry for Change, Volume Two (Poet's Haven, 2011)
,
Vending Machine: Poetry For Change (Poet's Haven, 2010)
,
2008 Hessler Street Fair Anthology (Hessler Street Fair Asscociation, 2008)
Book:
Taking Off My Black & White Saddle Shoes (World Stage Press, 2024)

Spoken Word

Performances:
Annual Go Red for Women Luncheon (2023)
,
Say It Loud! (2014)
,
The Annual Mesa Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival (2014)
,
The Annual Mesa Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Festival (2013)
,
Annual Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest (2009)
,
Barking Spider Poetry Jam (2009)
Prizes won: 
  • 2008  Annual Hessler Street Fair Poetry Contest, Second Place.
  • 2003  Poets in the Park,Writers in the Woods Poetry Contest: Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
  • 1997  The Golden Pen Award, The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.
  • 1995  Region VI Humorous Speech Contest Winners Showcase (Ontario, Canada).
  • 1994. District 10 Humorous Speech Contest, Toastmasters International, Inc., First Place.

Watch

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lucille Clifton, Sonia Sanchez, Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Sandra Cisneros, William Shakespeare, Maya Angelou, and Russell Atkins.
What I'm reading now: 
Plaintains and Our Becoming Poems by Melania Luisa Marte, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
African American, American, BIPOC, Black, Feminist
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Cleveland, OH
Ohio
Raised in: 
Cleveland, OH
Ohio
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jul 13, 2024