Tara Betts
Tara Betts | |
|---|---|
Editor, Teacher | |
| Notable works | Arc & Hue |
| Notable awards | 1999 Gwendolyn Brooks Open Mic Poetry Awards |
Tara Betts is the author of three full-length poetry collections: Refuse to Disappear, which was published in June 2022 with The Word Works, Break the Habit, which was published in October 2016 with Trio House Press,
Betts was born in
Betts worked with several non-profit organizations in
Career
After earning her Ph.D., Betts returned to Chicago and began her post as a visiting lecturer at University of Illinois-Chicago in 2015. Prior to that, she was a lecturer in creative writing at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, until 2011. A Cave Canem graduate,[5] and residencies from Ragdale Foundation, Centrum and Caldera, and an Illinois Arts Council Artist fellowship.[6] Betts has self-published small runs of several chapbooks: "Can I Hang?" (1999), "Switch" (2003), "Break the Habit" (2012), and "Circling Unexpectedly" (2013). Her most recent chapbook 7 x 7: kwansabas was published by Backbone Press in 2015. Betts is also a co-editor of The Beiging of America: Personal Narratives About Being Mixed Race in the Twenty-First Century (2 Leaf Press, 2017) with Cathy Schlund-Vials and Sean Patrick Forbes.
She is working on a third collection of poetry, a collection of critical essays, and a translation of poems by Salomé Ureña de Henríquez. Betts was commissioned by the Peggy Choy Dance Company to write a series of poems and monologues for "THE GREATEST!: An Homage to Muhammad Ali" in 2011 & 2013. These writings were published on Winged City Press in April 2013 and were mentioned in the
Betts' work has appeared in Essence, the Steppenwolf Theater production Words on Fire, Obsidian III, Callaloo, PMS, Meridians, Drum Voices Revue, WSQ, Columbia Poetry Review, African Voices, Ninth Letter, Hanging Loose, Drunken Boat, Mythium, Reverie, and WombPoetry. Her work has been anthologized in Gathering Ground (University of Michigan Press), Bum Rush the Page (Three Rivers Press), Power Lines (Tia Chucha Press), Poetry Slam (Manic D Press), Black Writing from Chicago (Southern Illinois University Press), ROLE CALL (Third World Press), These Hands I Know (Sarabande), Best Black Women’s Erotica 2 (Cleis Press), Hurricane Blues (Southeast Missouri University Press), Home Girls Make Some Noise: Hip Hop Feminism (Parker Publishing), Fingernails Across a Chalkboard (Third World Press), Quotes Community: Notes for Black Poets (University of Michigan Press) and Letters to the World (Red Hen Press).
She appeared on HBO's
Betts has also been a freelance writer for publications including XXL, The Source, BIBR, Mosaic Magazine and Black Radio Exclusive. She has written fictional blog posts in the voice of character named Madeline "Maddy" James for "Any Resemblance"-a multimedia dance show with serial webisodes in June 2013.
Published works
Full-length poetry collections
- Refuse to Disappear (The Word Works, 2022).
- Break the Habit (Trio House Press, 2016).
- Arc and Hue (Willow Books, 2009).
In Anthology
- "Nothing From Nobody," That Takes Ovaries!: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts, (Three Rivers Press, 2002).
- Rhythm of Structure: Mathematics Art and Poetic Reflection, Selby Gallery, Ringling College of Art and Design, 2011.[10]
- Near Kin: A Collection of Words and Art Inspired by Octavia Estelle Butler (Sybaritic Press, 2014).
- Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements (AK Press, 2015).
- The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop (Haymarket Books, 2015).
- Ghost Fishing: An Eco-Justice Poetry Anthology (University of Georgia Press, 2018).
References
- ^ "Trio House Press > Authors".
- ^ "Willow Books > Authors".
- ^ "40th Anniversary Portfolio: 40 Favorite Poets". www.essence.com. Archived from the original on 2010-06-24. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- S2CID 221565559.
- ^ "CAVE CANEM FELLOWS". Cave Canem Foundation. Cave Canem Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "SPD Books Author Page". www.spdbooks.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
- ^ Lee, Felicia H. (October 5, 2010). "Urban Beat for Poetry Festival". The New York Times. pp. C1. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ ""Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry" Episode #4.8 (2004)". www.imdb.com.
- JSTOR 463695.
- ^ John Sims (Oct 8, 2011). Rhythm of Structure Catalogue - A John Sims Project. Selby Gallery, Ringling College of Art and Design. p. 7. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
External links
Reviews
- The Poetry Foundation's 2016 Staff Picks [1]
- Rain Taxi, Winter 2016 [2]
- NewCity Lit, December 2016 [3]
- Calyx, Vol. 26:1, Summer 2010 [4]
- Poetry Foundation's Harriet blog review of Arc and Hue
- Meridian, Issue 24, 2010 [5]
- Feminist Review [6]
- Defenders Online [7]
Interviews
- The Rumpus [8]
- South Side Weekly [9]
- AMP [10]
- Speaking of Marvels [11]
- Live Unchained [12]
- Split This Rock Interview with Tara Betts
- GirlSpeak [13]
- La Bloga [14]
Audio/Video Links