Staceyann Chin

Staceyann Chin is a spoken word poet, actor, and performing artist. She is the author of the poetry collection, "Crossfire: A Litany For Survival," the critically acclaimed memoir, "The Other Side of Paradise," and author of the one-woman shows "Hands Afire," "Unspeakable Things," "Border/Clash," and "MotherStruck!"

Her poetry been featured in the New York Times and the Washington Post. She proudly identifies as Caribbean, Black, Asian, lesbian, a woman, and a resident of New York City, as well as a Jamaican national. In 2007, Chin shared her struggles of growing up gay in Jamaica on The Oprah Winfrey Show, has been an "out poet and political activist" ever since. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, with her daughter. She has been candid about her pregnancy by means of in-vitro fertilization, and wrote about her experiences as a pregnant, single lesbian in a guest blog for the Huffington Post.

In addition to speaking candidly about her life, Chin performed in and co-wrote the Tony-nominated Russell Simmons "Def Poetry Jam" on Broadway, as well as in Off-Broadway one-woman shows. In 2015, Chin's groundbreaking one-woman show "MotherStruck!" pierced the hearts of women theatergoers. Directed by Cynthia Nixon, and produced by Rosie O'Donnell, the production follows the true story of how Chin navigated a quest for motherhood as an over-30 lesbian immigrant of color. It has since been adapted into a series which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 to acclaim and continues to entertain audiences across the festival circuit.

As a spoken word poet, Chin's poetry can be found in her first chapbook, "Wildcat Woman," as well as "Stories Surrounding My Coming," and numerous anthologies, including "Skyscrapers, Taxis and Tampons."