An Evening of Engaged Poetry Performances

aja monet is a surrealist blues poet, storyteller and organizer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She won the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title in 2007 and follows in the long legacy and tradition of poets participating and assembling in social movements. 

aja monet © Fanny Chu

Her first full collection of poems is titled My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter (2017). It’s a powerful tribute to the women who shape the world. Rooted in experiences from East New York to Palestine, these poems confront injustice, grief, and displacement while celebrating love, motherhood, and Black joy. Her upcoming book, Florida Water (June 2025), explores migration, belonging, and healing amid climate change and systemic violence. 

In this event, Dalilla Hermans engages aja monet in a conversation on Black empowerment, feminism, social justice, and poetry. As Angela Y. Davis said of monet's work: “This poetry can orient us toward a future we may not yet realize we want.”