About Anika Nailah

Hi, I am a former New York City high school English teacher who has wanted to be an author ever since I was a little girl, thanks to wordplay, stories read to me before bed, and general encouragement from my mother. I was born in Worcester, MA in the mid 50s, from a long line of warriors both Pocasset Wampanoag & African American, thrivers and entrepreneurs, whose lineage extends from Massasoit in Massachusetts to St. Kitts in the Caribbean. I am a Black Writers Alliance Gold Pen Award Nominee. My book, Free and Other Stories, was chosen as one of 2002's best short story collections by Black Issues Book Review. My work, in Gumbo: a Celebration of African American Writing, was also broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Americana series. In recent years, I traveled across America on a National Liberation Poetry Tour to colleges/universities, women's prisons, coffehouses, art spaces, etc. giving dramatic performances of my poetry and inviting audiences to liberate themselves from old ways of thinking about race. My latest book, Every Day in the USA: 30 Black Moments is an undisguised portrayal of life in Black America, spearheading conversation to incite change. Inspired by Langston Hughes' Black Misery, I try to connect with those who can relate and raise awareness for those who cannot through C. Andrew Williams' 30 black and white illustrations of everyday racial microaggressions in the USA. (Go to https://anikanailah.com/ to learn more.) I especially love working with children, helping them to find and own their voices. Thus, I am also the Founder and former Director of Books Of Hope, a Boston-area program that encourages youth to write, self-publish, and sell their own books. When I am not touring, I write my novels, one, about early race relations in Massachusetts, a prequel to a story in my first book, and the other, a sci-fi saga. I also offer anti-racism/writing consulting services.