Biography

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Virginia State University, Virginia, United States
Dr. Latorial Faison is an award-winning African American poet, author, professor, veteran military spouse, and mother born in Southampton County, VA. She’s authored & edited 16 books, including Nursery Rhymes in Black, Blood at the Root, Mother to Son, Love Poems, 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History, I-III & The Missed Education of the Negro. Faison completed undergraduate & graduate studies in English at UVA and VA TECH; she completed doctoral studies in Education at VA State University. Faison's been published in Callaloo, Obsidian, PRAIRIE SCHOONER, Artemis Journal, West Trestle Review, RHINO, Southern Poetry Anthology, About Place Journal, Southern Women's Review, Deep South Magazine, Chickenbones, AUNT CHLOE, and elsewhere. Dr. Faison is a recipient of fellowships from VA Humanities, Furious Flower Poetry Center, and AWP. She's won the Tom Howard Poetry Prize and ranked finalist for CAVE CANEM and Louise Bogan Poetry Prizes. Faison's been published alongside Iyanla Vanzant, Danny Glover & Dr. Cornel West in the NAACP Image Award-winner, Keeping the Faith. She's Assistant Professor of English and Chair of Languages and Literature at VA State University.

Friday, April 22, 2016

For All Your Blues



-for Prince-


You have gone, vocally reached
Past it, songs of seduction

Yonder in the night. The light,
It has come & granted you

Royalty for all your blues.
Robed in rhythmical genius,

You gave new life & you breathed
New life. While we marvel at

The gift, there in the distance
You stand strikingly strumming,

Singing like angels, preaching
like Rock & Roll's Paul. We grieve

The day you flew away, a
Dove whistling battle cries.


Copyrighted April 22, 2016 by Latorial D. Faison
www.latorialfaison.com

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