Ayanna Black was born in Jamaica, and lived in England for several years before emigrating to Canada in 1964. Her work has been anthologized in Canada and in the Caribbean. She is one of the founding members of Tiger Lily, Canada's first magazine by women of colour. She also contributes to Fuse magazine, writing on cultural, social and political issues. She has conducted poetry workshops in the schools, and has given readings in major cities in Canada, the U.S, England, and Italy.
Selected Publications
No Contingencies. (WilliamsWallace Publishers, 1986).
Linked Alive (with Dore Michelut et al). (Trois, 1990).
Voices: 16 Canadian Writers of African Descent (editor). (HarperCollins,
1992).
Fiery Spirits (editor). (HarperCollins, 1994).
Selected Anthologies
Women and Words: The Anthology/Le s femmes et les mots: Une anthologie.
(Harbour Publishing, 1984).
Other Voices: Writings by Blacks in Canada. (WilliamsWallace Publishers,
1985).
Sp/Elles: Poetry by Canadian Women/Poésie de femmes canadiennes. (Black
Moss Press, 1986).
Daughters of the Sun, Women of the Moon: Poetry by Black Canadian Women.
(WilliamsWallace Publishers, 1991).
Books in Print
Black,Ayanna
Fiery Spirits. (editor). HarperCollins, 1994. $15.00 ISBN: 0-00-647520-5.
Voices: 16 Canadian Writers of African Descent. (editor). HarperCollins,
1992. $16.95 ISBN: 0-00-647413-6.
Poet in the School
(Toronto)
phone: 416-363-7732
Ayanna Black is a poet, and one of the Founding Editors of Tiger Lily Magazine, Canada's first literary magazine by women of colour. She contributes to Fuse Magazine, writing on literary criticisms and cultural issues. Black has read at public and high schools, universities, art galleries, libraries, and community centres in Canada, the UK, the USA, and Italy. She is editor and contributing author of Voices, a collection of fiction and poetry written by 15 Canadian writers of African descent. Her first book of poetry, No Contingencies, presents a moving reflection of the world of women, particularly black and immigrant women, living in Canada. She is also co-author of Linked Alive, a renga collaboration. Presently, she is working on two books of poetry.
Grade Levels: 6 - OAC
Fees: standard
Classroom Approach:
Students
need not have read Black's work prior to the visit. Her approach is relaxed
and flexible. Black believes in involving the students as soon as she enters
the classroom. She begins her sessions with a chant and goes on to explore oral
traditions, reading two or three of her short, rhythmic poems in which students
can easily get involved physically: hand clapping, feet-stomping, and making
sounds with their bodies. She often engages the students in group writing using
renga poetry form and rap. Depending on time, she enjoys giving students the
opportunity to read/perform their own work. Black is knowledgeable of Caribbean
art and incorporates the principles of English as a Second Language (ESL) that
facilitates all the students and their cultural backgrounds and heritages.