Mahogany L. Browne (born Lesley Tims, 1976[citation needed]) is an American poet,[1] curator, writer, organizer and educator. As of July 2021, Browne is the first-ever poet-in-residence at New York City's Lincoln Center.[2]
Mahogany L. Browne was born and raised in Oakland, California[3] before moving to Brooklyn, New York in 1999.[4][failed verification] She recalls never having imagined moving to New York permanently as someone born and raised in Oakland, California but after her summer residency at Pratt Institute ended, she decided to stay.[5] She earned a master of fine arts degree in writing and activism from the Pratt Institute.[3]
She is known for her thirteen-year tenure as the Friday Night Slam curator and Poetry Program director at the Nuyorican Poets Café in Lower Manhattan. In 2019, Browne served as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) program coordinator at her alma mater, Pratt Institute,[3] where she was also a visiting instructor.[6]
Browne is currently the executive director at Bowery Poetry Club, founded by Bob Holman in 2003. Browne is also the artistic director at Urban Word NYC, Poetry Coordinator at St. Francis College and the author of several books (including children's books), stage plays, articles and audio recordings. The founder of Penmanship Books,[3] Browne has received numerous awards and fellowships, among which is a fellowship from the Art for Justice Fund (A4J). The Academy of American Poets has published several blog essays[7] of Browne's through their partnership with A4J.[8]
Awards
In 2019, Browne received a SWACC! Focus Fellowship, which is awarded to a spoken word author whose lifelong creative work has demonstrated a commitment to building community through collaborative models.[9]
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