#AWP24 Faculty Fellows

Latorial Faison

Latorial Faison, poet, author, educator, and VA Humanities research fellow, completed undergraduate studies in English at UVA and later earned her Master’s in English at Virginia Tech and an EdD at Virginia State University. Though entering her seventh year on the faculty at Virginia State University, she has taught English literature and writing for over two decades across the U.S. and abroad. Faison, the 2023 Permafrost Poetry Prize winner for her forthcoming book Nursery Rhymes in Black (University of Alaska Press, 2024) is also a Tom Howard Poetry Prize recipient, Pushcart nominee, JMU Furious Flower Poetry Center fellow, and the author of Mother to Son; the Amazon Kindle best-selling 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History trilogy collection, I Am Woman; and The Missed Education of the Negro: An Examination of the Black Segregated Education Experience in Southampton County, VA 1950-1970.

Danielle Littlefield

Danielle L. Littlefield is a writer, editor, and educator from the Mississippi Delta. Her work centers the intellectual, spiritual, domestic lives of Black women in intergenerational narratives set in a modern-day, urban South. Currently, she serves as assistant professor of creative writing at Jackson State University and fiction & hybrid genre editor at Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora.

#AWP24 Student Fellows

Zamariah Strozier

Zamariah Strozier is a Black woman of the humanities; her free time is spent writing potential scripts and capturing urban and creative art around New Orleans. She is a sophomore at Xavier University of Louisiana, the managing editor of the Xavier Herald, and member the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). She plans to attend grad school a year after earning her bachelor’s degree and then earning her certification as a Black esthetician within the Atlanta area. In six years, she hopes to open her own art gallery that will showcase to children, especially African American children, that they have options when it comes to different career, education, and life paths.

Evan Johnson

Evan Johnson is a sophomore at Morgan State University and majors in psychology with hopes of obtaining a doctoral degree in the field. Although Evan majors in psychology, he has always had a love for the art of English. Because of the love he shares for the art, he has developed a passion and skill set for poetry and aspires to publish his own poetry book.

Lauren Patrick

Lauren Patrick was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas before moving to Texas to attend Prairie View A&M University. She is a senior majoring in English and minoring in creative writing. After graduating, she plans to continue her education by going to graduate school.

Morgan McGinnis

Mo McGinnis is a proud woman of color writer and social activist from Baltimore. Her upbringing in a city silenced by systemic racism inspired her passion for service and political advocacy. She believes that the disparities in lower-class communities are due to a lack of resources and negligence, not civility, intelligence, or motivation. Ignored voices in her community led her to pursue a legal education in law to fight for equality. Her goal is to fight for intellectual reparations and use her voice to amplify neglected stories while promoting diversity. She is radical in her efforts and believes societal evolution through unity will restore humanity in the world.