Aya de Leon
Encyclopedia
Aya de Leon is a writer
, poet
, and spoken word
artist in the underground poetry scene in the San Francisco Bay Area
. Her heritage of both Puerto Rican
and African American
influence her work to explore issues with race, gender, socio-economic class, etc.
She attended Harvard University
, where she received a BA
. After, she returned to the Bay Area and began to perform spoken word with the San Francisco Slam Team (winner of the Nation Poetry Slam in 2000). She has been a regular performer at many events and clubs, including the Justice League in San Francisco and the Lincoln Center in New York City
. Her work has been published in Essence and Blu magazines. She has taught various writing workshops for Stanford University
and in 2000 she won the Burning Books award. In September 2006, she was the Guest-in-Residence of Unit One, a living-learning community attuned to the creative arts, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
.
Aya has released her first spoken word CD, Aya de León: Live at La Peña. Her other published works include Valentine's Day Has Been Cancelled: Love Poems for Real Life, Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop (which she later turned into a one-woman show), Prayer Warrior, Poems of Struggle and Love2K: Sober Love Poems.
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
artist in the underground poetry scene in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Her heritage of both Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
influence her work to explore issues with race, gender, socio-economic class, etc.
She attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where she received a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
. After, she returned to the Bay Area and began to perform spoken word with the San Francisco Slam Team (winner of the Nation Poetry Slam in 2000). She has been a regular performer at many events and clubs, including the Justice League in San Francisco and the Lincoln Center in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Her work has been published in Essence and Blu magazines. She has taught various writing workshops for Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and in 2000 she won the Burning Books award. In September 2006, she was the Guest-in-Residence of Unit One, a living-learning community attuned to the creative arts, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
.
Aya has released her first spoken word CD, Aya de León: Live at La Peña. Her other published works include Valentine's Day Has Been Cancelled: Love Poems for Real Life, Thieves in the Temple: The Reclaiming of Hip Hop (which she later turned into a one-woman show), Prayer Warrior, Poems of Struggle and Love2K: Sober Love Poems.