Franny Choi

Franny Choi (born February 11, 1989) is a queer Korean-American writer and poet.[1] She has published poetry focusing on social activism and equality, which has won awards and been highlighted in many journals and magazines. She has competed in many slam poetry competitions, where she became increasingly known as a poet. Choi is also known for writing poetry for the rapper Lil Wayne.[2]

Franny Choi
Franny Choi performing at a poetry slam
Born (1989-02-11) February 11, 1989
OccupationPoet
NationalityAmerican
GenreSlam poetry

Personal life

She lives in Northhampton, Massachusetts.[3] Her fascination with poetry began when she was in the third or fourth grade. She enjoyed the action of ordering words together in such a way that they provided profound meaning. As her love for poetry grew, she began to identify and to use poetry as a means of coping with real life experiences. In high school, Choi was introduced to poet Allen Ginsberg and fell in love with poetry’s spoken form. In college, she joined a group for marginalized spoken poets, called WORD!, which was her introduction to the world of slam poetry.[4]

Education and career

She graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Literary Arts and Ethnic Studies in 2011 and received an M.F.A. from the Helen Zell Writers' Program at the University of Michigan in Poetry. [5] After graduating, she became a co-Director of the Providence Poetry Slam. She founded the Dark Noise Collective with Fatimah Asghar, Danez Smith, Jamila Woods, Nate Marshall, and Aaron Samuels in 2012.[3]

Currently, Choi is working for Hyphen Magazine, a non-profit Asian culture publication, as News Editor. She is also a co-host with Danez Smith of the podcast VS.[6] She is a Gaius Charles Bolin Fellow in English at Williams College.

Themes

Choi's poems focus on self-identity and her struggles in a white-dominated society. Another poem, "Too Many Truths," deals with identity and what it means to be alive within a certain identity.[7]

Awards

Choi is a two-time winner of the Rust-Belt Poetry Slam.[8]

Activism

Choi promotes social activism through her poetry and writing.[9] In her poem "Whiteness Walks Into A Bar," she brings to light the institutionalized racism in the United States.[10]

She also advocates for feminism through her poetry, such as in "furiosa."[11]

Choi curated a series of video poems by 12 queer poets from the Pacific Islands for the Smithsonian.[12]

Bibliography

Collections

Chapbooks
  • Death by Sex Machine (2017)

References
  1. "Franny Choi". Retrieved 2018-12-09.
  2. Matthews, Cate (12 August 2014). "The Lyrics To Lil Wayne's 'P**** Monster,' Rearranged By Frequency (NSFW)". Hufffington Post. Arts: Oath. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  3. "About". FRANNY CHOI. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  4. Cordero, Karla. "Interview with Franny Choi". Spit Journal. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  5. "English". english.williams.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  6. "FRANNY CHOI". FRANNY CHOI. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  7. "Conversations with Contributors: Franny Choi (Poetry)". The Adroit Journal. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  8. "Franny Choi to Headline Wild Women of Poetry Slam". UKNow. 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
  9. Segal, Corinne (30 November 2015). "Poet Franny Choi pictures a world without police". NewsHour Productions. PBS News Hour. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  10. Admin (2017-04-04). "Franny Choi - "Whiteness Walks into a Bar"". Button Poetry. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  11. "Franny Choi". Bat City Review. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  12. Center, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American. "Queer Check-Ins". Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
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