Work samples
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For the Girls Who Do Too Much (Poem) by Khadijah Ali-ColemanFor the Girls Who Do Too Much (Poem) by Khadijah Ali-Coleman from the book, For the Girls Who Do Too Much.
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A Park Stands on All of Our Graves (Poem) by Khadijah Z. Ali-ColemanA Park Stands on All of Our Graves (Poem) by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman from the book A Park Stands on All of Our Graves.
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My Body is Oracle (Poem) by Khadijah Z. Ali-ColemanMy Body is Oracle (Poem) by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman from the book For the Girls Who Do Too Much.
About Khadijah Z.
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, EdD is a multigenre writer based in Baltimore, MD. Her work interrogates perceptions of identity, justice, and place, often centering the lived experiences of Black women over 40. She is also the award-winning performance artist Khadijah Moon whose work spans poetry, songwriting, playwriting, and filmmaking. Dr. Ali-Coleman is a tenured Professor of Humanities at Coppin State University, where she founded the literary magazine Ma’at’s Feather. Her work has been… more
Books
Plays
The Summoning of Black Joy Book (2023) and Audio Project (2024)
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Sugar Soldiers
This poem, "Sugar Soldiers" by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is from her book, THE SUMMONING OF BLACK JOY that was released in 2023. The poem was written in response to the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a young Black teen who survived being shot by white man after knocking on his door by mistake, looking to pick up his younger brothers. Ali-Coleman reflects on growing up in the 1980's and knocking on doors to sell candy for her school's fundraiser each year, with no fear of being shot by strangers. This visual poem presentation features music by Ben Dawson, Jr. and visuals from Pexels.com. It is part of a larger project to translate the book of poems, The Summoning of Black Joy into an audio and video companion to the book, supported, in part, by the Prince George's County Arts and Humanities Council. Learn more and purchase your copy at http://www.KhadijahAli-Coleman.com
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"Planting" a poem by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Visual poem, "Planting," from the book, The Summoning of Black Joy (2023)
Written and read by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Music by Ben Dawson, Jr.
Supported in part by a grant from the Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council
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Black People by Khadijah Ali-Coleman
Prince George's County, MD Poet Laureate, Khadijah Ali-Coleman presented her poem, "Black People," during the inaugural Downtown Largo Placemaking Festival in Largo, MD. She was accompanied by Jabari Exum on djembe. This poem was part of a poetry set featuring poetry from the book, The Summoning of Black Joy.
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Presenting Poetry from "The Summoning of Black Joy"Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman reciting poetry at the City of Laurel's annual Black History Month program in 2024
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Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman Presents Her Poem “An Activist Prayer” in Havana, Cuba
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is the 2nd Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Md and was in Cuba from Jan. 27-Feb. 3, 2024 with Busboys and Poets and Alice Walker to celebrate Langston Hughes! Did you know that he spent a considerable amount of time in Cuba during his lifetime? Langston Hughes had a close friendship with Cuban poet Nicholas Guilllen in the 30’s and translated some of Guillen’s early works. Hughes is also credited for influencing Guillen’s views on race and cultural pride among those of the African diaspora, views that came up in Guillen’s work and were trademarks of Hughes’ work. Alice Walker led the unveiling of a Langston Hughes statue on his 123rd birthday. The unveiling took place at Casa de la Portia in Havana, Cuba. The statue and dedication service were sponsored by Andy Shallal who coordinated, through his restaurant, Busboys and Poets, a delegation of over 70 US arts administrators, writers, performing artists, visual artists and arts lovers, including Dr
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Ujima Poems for Kwanzaa by Khadijah Ali-Coleman
Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman shared original poetry from her poetry collection, The Summoning of Black Joy in 2020 during the COVID-19 quarantine in a Kwanzaa virtual presentation presented by the Eubie Blake Jazz and Cultural Center in Baltimore, MD.
Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman is a multi-disciplinary artist and scholar who studies the intersections of African-American culture, history and scholarship. As a playwright and cultural curator, she has often engaged in comprehensive research to develop historical theater works and museum exhibits. Her theatrical presentation In Her Words highlights the social justice work of African-American cultural icons Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Billie Holiday, Zora Neale Hurston, Katherine Dunham, and Lucille Clifton. Her recent historical exhibit "Flying Towards Freedom: Migration Stories of Maryland Families" was inspired by the book Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. She is a 2019 Fulbright-Hays scholar and the 2020 Scholar-in-Residence at Prince
"What About These Jobs?" (2024)
