María Fernanda (she/hers) writes poetry exploring the intimacy of sisterhood, the anchor of intergenerational coexistence, and grief.
Awarded the Norma Elia Cantú Award in Creative Writing and the Andrea Klein Willison Prize for Poetry, María Fernanda is a Callaloo fellow. She has appeared at MoMaPS1, The National African American Museum of History and Culture, Phoenix Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, and more. Read more.
you and i, sistering
we are lightning
across the evening
[forthcoming, 2027]
my silence, an orb weaver’s silk
cocooning my throat
[Weekly Poem, dial 1-855-POEMRX2]
Leontyne Price as Cleopatra (Metropolitan Opera Archive). Photos by Louis Mélançon
Where We At! series
A series of in-gallery experiences, crafted by María Fernanda, debuted at The National Gallery of Art. Located in Gallery 77 as part of the Gallery’s exhibition Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, participants were invited to write poems and learn about the Black Arts Movement. The title of this program is directly inspired by Black Women Artists Inc.’s name and call, “Where We At!” (circa 1971).
honoring nikki series
This initiative finds its shape in the form of workshops, lectures, and readings honoring Nikki Giovanni’s presence in DC. Readings include curated artist and open mic readers/performers to widen the lens in which we remember.
