Amena Brown

Amena Brown is a writer, spoken word poet, and performing artist whose work blends storytelling, poetry, and humor. She is the author of five spoken word albums and two nonfiction books. Her work has appeared in the bestselling Rhythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal and Hungry Hearts: Essays on Courage, Desire and Belonging. She was also a 2022 The Watering Hole Poetry Fellow.

Amena’s poem “Never Tell a Black Girl How to Black Girl” was featured on ALL BLK TV’s Social Society. She has partnered with major brands including Olay and PATTERN Beauty, Tracee Ellis Ross’s natural hair care company.

A graduate of Spelman College, Amena is known for popular spoken word pieces such as “Letter to My Hair,” “Dear TV Sitcoms,” “Girlfriends Poem,” and “For the Women,” which have collectively garnered more than 400,000 views online.

She is co-executive producer and co-host of the Wake Up and Create podcast, a partnership between WABE/NPR and CreativeMornings Atlanta, and has hosted several other podcasts. In 2021, she received the Seneca Women Podcast Award at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.

Amena has performed and hosted at major events including the MAKERS Conference, Creativity World Forum, Essence Festival, and Pantene’s My Black Is Beautiful Tour, sharing stages with artists and thinkers such as Sonia Sanchez, Cornel West, Mindy Kaling, Glennon Doyle, and Michelle Buteau.