Celebrate Black History Month and get to know Keisha-Gaye Anderson ’96! As part of the Racial Equity Academic Symposium and Syracuse University’s Black History Month Celebration, Anderson will be receiving the 2021 Poetic Icon Award, along with Nikki Giovanni, from the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ spoken-word program, Verbal Blend. Get to know Keisha!
Go Orange! Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Class of 1996 alumna! She graduated from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and College of Arts and Sciences.
Author, Poet, Educator. Her debut poetry collections “Gathering the Waters” was accepted into the Poets House Library and the National Library of Jamaica. Keisha’s poetry, fiction and essays have been widely published in national literary journals, magazines and anthologies. She also regularly teaches English courses at The City University of New York and leads writing workshops for non-profits and other organizations.
A visual artist. Keisha was selected as a Brooklyn Public Library Artist in Residence in 2018. Her visual art has been featured in exhibitions and literary journals, including “The Adirondack Review,” “Joint Literary Magazine” and “No, Dear.”
Journalistic roots. Keisha began her career as a journalist, having written for national consumer magazines like “Psychology Today,” “Teen People,” “Black Enterprise” and “Honey.” She also began her career working in various producing roles on documentary programming for networks like CBS and PBS.
An award-winner. Her third poetry collection, “A Spell for Living,” received the Editors’ Choice recognition for the Numinous Orisons, Luminous Origin Literary Award, and is as a multimedia e-book, including music and Keisha’s original artwork. Keisha is a past participant of the VONA Voices and Callaloo writing workshops, a former fellow of the North Country Institute for Writers of Color and was short-listed for the Small Axe Literary Competition.
Written by Alana Boyd G’21 S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications