Mahogany L. Browne

Mahogany L. Browne was born in Oakland, California, but has been based in Brooklyn, New York, for over 15 years. A strong, black woman, Browne is unapologetic in her work as a spoken word poet, author, and activist. She uses her personal experience with addiction, racism, sexism, and oppression to inspire her own brand of shameless, authentic work. Browne’s spoken word performances create a platform through poetry for women and girls to feel empowered and heard.

In the beginning, encouragement was elusive for Browne. During a high school honors English class, she was told not to write poetry and dropped out the next semester. Finding the strength to persevere, the poet went on to graduate from the MFA Writing and Activism program at Pratt Institute. Browne’s talent and personal struggles have proved to make her success today proof of her undeniable persistence.

Featured in the PBS NewsHour segment, Brief But Spectacular, Browne read her poem “Black Girl Magic” about the struggles facing African-American women and girls in modern society. She has been featured in HBO’s "Brave New Voices" as the artistic director at Urban Word NYC. Browne is the publisher of Penmanship Books, curator of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe Friday Night Slam, founder of the Women Writers of Color Reading Room, and the director of Black Lives Matter at Pratt Institute.

A Cave Canem fellow and Agnes Gund Fund Recipient, Browne has published several poetry collections and books, including "Black Girl Magic," "Kissing Caskets," "Redbone," and "Dear Twitter: Love Letters Hashed Out Online." She has also released five LPs, including a live album, Sheroshima. Her work has appeared in Pluck, The Manhattanville Review, Muzzle, and others.

Browne has toured internationally as a member of Global Poetics, an international arts exchange.