Yasmine Bolden is a Black American poet, author, part-time creative writing coach, and racial justice advocate dedicated to nurturing the voices of and creating accessibility for young BIPOC involved in the arts. She performs in and writes micro-productions for DMV area theatre and is a National Museum of African American History and Culture Young Historians Institute alumna. Through her work, she documents Black history and the contemporary Black Christian feminine experience, especially as it intersects with advocacy, chronic illness, and identity formation. She strives to add some flavor to the children’s fantasy and sci-fi genre that she so voraciously consumed as a little girl.

 

          Her work and writing has been recognized by the Congressional Award, regional Scholastic Writing Awards at the highest level, and two separate National Beta Club State Convention Poetry Competitions. This year, she was named an I, Too, Am the Dream National Creative Writing Competition grand prize winner and subsequent Ambassador of the American Dream, as well as an America Library of Poetry's student competition semi-finalist and Pushcart Prize nominee. She also placed in the top ten of the National Beta Club National Poetry Competition for grades eleven and twelve. Her art, writing, and multimedia works have appeared or are forthcoming in the The Ellipsis, Love Letters: To the Mothers & Fathers of the African Diaspora (Anthology), Perhappened Magazine, Write the World Review, Diatom Journal, Ghost Heart Literary Journal, and Hearth Stories Lit Mag. In 2020, Writopia Lab commissioned two plays from her to be produced and performed virtually by theatre professionals. She is currently working on her debut book of poems, tentatively titled The Blackest Sunburst. 

 

         Mimi creates content for the Black-centered allergic diseases platform and community she co-created, Hypersensitivi-Tea.  Mimi is also highly active in The National Beta Club, serving as her local chapter’s president and one of her state’s Leadership Representatives. She is the recipient of a Congressional Bronze Certificate and the Daughters of the American Revolution Youth Good Citizenship medal. She presided as co-president over her local youth Toastmaster's workshop, and has taught or mentored in creative writing, Spanish, and craft-making to students aged 5-18 as well as adults. An experienced thespian, she enjoys anthropology, guiding young writers on their paths to recognizing and publicizing their own writing voices, and learning new languages. At heart, she’s still the voracious reader who talked her way into getting more than the five book limit from her elementary school library. 

       

      You can read about her 2020 Election Night plans in Teen Vogue here. You can watch her speaking about the Model United Nations program, homeschool experience, and representing the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area on national television here and here, read about her D.A.R. Youth Good Citizenship medal here, and learn about some of her involvement in theatre here. You can tune into Gear Up Alabama's The Box Movement Panel to watch her discuss the college search process as a Black food allergic and community-oriented teen with Clark Atlanta and University of Alabama professors here (linked in the panel title). You can watch her takeover of Zenerations' platform, during which she discusses activism, anti-racism, starting dialogue about race, and reads her poetry here. 

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        You can find her on Instagram @blackpunningpoet and on Twitter as @blkpunningpoet. Her business Instagram is @gracedwithblacknessshop and her project collecting stories about living through the COVID-19 pandemic and third wave of the Civil Rights movement @thisworldisstillours.

If you enjoy her blog and website, you'll probably also enjoy these wonderful blogs: All the Beautiful World, Vita Volo Poetry, Stemininity .

 

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