The Business of Poetry & Standing on Business
With Mahogany L. Browne
Poetry is an artistic endeavor, but is it ever a career? In this keynote, we address the realities of being a successful poet, focusing on publishing and performing, teaching and freelancing, and the power of online presences. Discover how to navigate the world of literature and have several streams of income without compromising your artistic integrity. Join us as we investigate ways to expand your readership and help you turn your passion for poetry into a viable and fulfilling career.
This session will be recorded; the recording will be available to participants until January 16, 2026. Participants will be part of a Zoom Meeting with Mahogany L. Browne which means everyone will have the option to turn cameras on (although that is not required to participate). By joining the class, participants consent to being recorded (only if they opt to turn their camera on). As noted above, the recording will be available to class participants only for a limited time; the recording will not be shared for any other purpose.
While this class is designed as a participatory workshop, it can be purchased to be viewed asynchronously (not live) for a similar experience.
DETAILS
The Business of Poetry & Standing on Business
(A Zoom class to attend in person or watch later)
Dates
Sunday, November 16th
Time
1:00-2:30 PM EST
Cost
$90 USD
—Hanif Abdurraqib“Mahogany Browne’s legacy is one of generosity, a legacy that once again shines through in Chrome Valley which acts as a booklong ode, a love song to both place and people, so rich in image and narrative clarity that the place could be your place. And, for our folks, the people could be your people. This book is a gift. A kingdom of touchable joys.”
Mahogany L. Browne
Writer, organizer, vocalist, performance poet, and educator Mahogany L. Browne is the author of poetry and fiction. Her illustrated poetry book Black Girl Magic celebrates a black girlhood that is “free, unforgettable, and luminous” (School Library Journal), while her children’s book Woke Baby is for all the littlest progressives who grow up to change the world; both were published in 2018 by Roaring Brook/Macmillan. Her other YA titles include Vinyl Moon (Penguin Random House, 2021), which weaves together prose, poems, and vignettes to tell the story of a young woman whose past was shaped by domestic violence but whose love of language and music and the gift of community grant her the chance to find herself again; and Chlorine Sky (Penguin Random House, 2021), which Elizabeth Acevedo designated “an absolute masterpiece.”
Browne’s boldly lyrical and and fiercely honest poetry intricately mines the experience of being a Black woman in America. Her collections include: Chrome Valley (W. W. Norton, 2023), which was a Best Book of 2023 in TIME, Electric Literature and received Paterson Poetry Prize (2024); I Remember Death By Its Proximity to What I Love (Haymarket Books, 2021); Kissing Caskets (YesYes Books, 2017); and the NAACP-nominated chapbook Redbone (Willow Books, 2016). From maternal lineage, young love, and friendship to inherited traumas and the systemic violence of incarceration, her body of work sings sacred and loud.
Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne was the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She holds an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree awarded by Marymount Manhattan College in 2024, is the inaugural poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center, and writes across the genre as a resident of Brooklyn, NY.