Arisa White

Arisa White is an Associate Professor of English (Creative Writing) at Colby College, Maine, with research and creative practice centered on Black queer women’s narratives, intersectional identity, and Afrosurreal aesthetics. She earned an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has held visiting scholar roles at San Francisco State University’s Poetry Center.

• Key themes: queer kinship, racial justice, gendered trauma, and ecological metaphors
• Collaborative projects: Post Pardon: The Opera with Jessica Jones, Biddy Mason Speaks Up with Laura Atkins
• Her 15 most recent works span poetic memoirs, anthologies, and experimental chapbooks, exploring embodied language and intergenerational memory.

Awardees include:

• Maine Literary Book Award for young readers’ literature
• Nautilus Book Award Gold Medal
• Pushcart Prize nominations across five years

She directs Colby’s Creative Writing program, serves on Foglifter Press’s board, and integrates Kundalini Yoga training into her artistic practice, emphasizing holistic creativity and bodily intelligence.