Local Color
Fresh, insightful, and enthralling, artists shape the movement of our society. Each month, in support of our homegrown talent, Jaxnightlife will feature a new artist who brings his or her own individual panache to the Jacksonville Community. This month I interviewed my colleague and friend, spoken word artist Terri “Kami” Staten.
Bio of Amani Francis
When she was still in her mother's womb, Amani Francis was named by Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni. Perhaps the muses infused the gift of pen through the baby naming ceremony that took place before her birth since Amani has been writing ever since.
At the age of 10, Amani began chronicling her life through journals and poetry. While pursuing her undergraduate studies at Southern University at New Orleans, she was a member of Fertile Ground Poets. Maintaining an active interest in various elements of the arts, Amani was also a member of the New Orleans based N'kafu Traditional African Dance Company. Amani left Louisiana in 1998 to further her studies in Houston, Texas. In 2001, she earned her Master of Arts degree in English at Texas Southern University.
She is a published poet and her work was most notably featured in Sauti Mpya, the literary journal of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Amani is the author of Nannie Eva, which is her ambitious first novel. Already, this work has earned Amani the distinction of Editor's Choice, a title which is awarded only to iUniverse authors who demonstrate superior writing and a commitment to excellence. In Nannie Eva, Amani brings her unique and descriptive poetic style to this captivating work of literary fiction. A Louisiana native, born and raised in Baton Rouge, Amani currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband and daughter where she works as a Professor of English and co-edits Venue – A Southern Literary e-journal. In her spare time, Amani writes poetry, paints, and refinishes furniture. At the present time, Amani is working on a variety of short stories, a co-authored novel, as well as a sequel to Nannie Eva
|
Join the JaxNightLife