I’m a multidisciplinary artist and storyteller using photography, poetry, and film to archive Black life as ritual, resistance, and radical imagination. Rooted in the South Side of Chicago and shaped by global Black traditions, my work centers memory, movement, and the sacred beauty of everyday survival.
Design Portfolio
Web Designer & Creative Strategist
kwabenafoli.com – Personal portfolio site showcasing multidisciplinary work in photography, writing, and digital storytelling. Designed full UX layout, wrote all copy, and developed custom visual identity. All images by myself. (2025)
bushidokaratefitness.com – Website for a martial arts and fitness studio. Led site architecture, brand tone, and responsive design with a focus on motion and discipline. All photography by myself. (2024)
naicounseling.com – Mental health practice site centering culturally responsive therapy. Developed content strategy, calming visual language, and clear UX pathways for prospective clients. (2024)
Album Art & Creative Direction
6777: An Alysha Monique Prelude - Alysha Monique (2024)
Designed full cover artwork, typography, and digital packaging. Concept emphasized ritual, softness, and self-possession.
Listen on Spotify
Really Human – Cole DeGenova (2020)
Art directed and designed album cover rooted in analog textures and dreamlike intimacy. Delivered assets for digital and print (vinyl) release.
Listen on Spotify
Writing Portfolio
Screenwriting:
Rise of the Tiger – Feature Screenplay (2025)
Psychological martial arts horror exploring identity, trauma, and transformation in 1970s Harlem. Completed full-length spec script; currently in development for submission to festivals and labs.
Books:
There Are Many Ways to Say Our Name (2024, Self-Published)
on god (2021, Candor Arts)
learning rhythm (2017, Flowered Concrete Press)
Selected Literary Journals:
The Los Angeles Review
Meridian
Salt Hill Journal
Crab Orchard Review
Mikrokosmos Journal
cream city review
Artistic Exhibitions
god gives rest / not sleep – Seerveld Gallery, IL (2020)
on god – Elastic Arts, Chicago (2019)
Survey 1 – Chicago Artists Coalition (2019)
Tracing Faults – University of Illinois, Springfield (2020)
RGB – Fredericks & Mae’s, Brooklyn (2019)
Hot Seven – Gene Siskel Film Center (2017)
Gallery 400/our duty to fight — University of Illinois, Chicago (2017)
Residencies
Ragdale Foundation (2021)
Chicago Artists Coalition – HATCH (2020)
Elastic Arts – Dark Matter (2020)
Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity - Writing Studio (2018)
Poetry Center of Chicago – Hands On Stanza (2016–2018)
Awards & Honors
Los Angeles Review Literary Award (Winner, 2019)
30 Writers to Watch – Guild Literary Complex (Honoree, 2019)
Press 53 Award for Poetry (Finalist, 2018)
Kathryn A. Morton Prize in Poetry (Finalist, 2018)
Mikrokosmos Poetry Contest (Finalist, 2018)
Poetry Slam Inc. Grand Slam Champion, Chicago (2015–2016)
Selected Teaching & Facilitation Highlights (2010 - 2021)
Creative Nonfiction Instructor – ChiArts (Chicago High School for the Arts)
Designed and taught trauma-informed, culturally responsive curriculum focused on identity, testimony, and performance. Mentored students in creative writing and oral storytelling.
High School Equivalency Teacher – CASES
Designed and facilitated trauma-informed, arts-integrated GED curriculum for court-involved and formerly incarcerated youth in Brooklyn, NY.
Instructor – Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Taught undergraduate Communication courses with an emphasis on performance ethnography, critical race theory, and public speaking.
Teaching Artist & Workshop Leader – Get In Chicago, After School Matters
Delivered youth poetry and performance intensives exploring themes of narrative power, liberation, and vulnerability.
Educator – Various Roles Across Chicago, New York, and Florida
Taught across public schools, universities, and arts nonprofits, consistently using narrative-based frameworks (e.g., Narrative Therapy, Nonviolent Communication) to center voice and agency in learning spaces.
Education
M.A. in Communication Studies (Performance Studies) / Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2011
Thesis: Jockin’ Jay-Z: A Praxis-Oriented Autoethnography Toward Possibility
A hybrid auto-ethnographic and performance-based thesis exploring hip-hop aesthetics, cultural agency, and personal narrative through the lens of praxis and critical possibility.