Aja Monet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aja Monet
Monet in 2017
Born	Aja Monet Bacquie New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Poet writer lyricist activist

Aja Monet Bacquie is an American poet, writer, and activist. She is known for her powerful poems and songs that often talk about social justice and community. An activist is someone who works to bring about political or social change.

Early Life and Inspiration

Monet grew up in East New York, Brooklyn. She fell in love with storytelling and typewriters as a child and started writing poems when she was only eight years old.

In high school, she began performing her poetry. One of her poems made her teacher cry, and the teacher encouraged her to keep writing. Monet later won her high school's talent show with a poem. She also started a club called SABA, which stood for Students Acknowledging Black Achievements.

Monet got involved with a group called Urban Word NYC. This group showed her that she could have a career as a poet. An important moment for her was when she was invited to a poetry workshop for pregnant teens. This experience showed her how poetry could be used to help and empower communities.

When she was 17, she went to a national poetry competition called Brave New Voices. There, she learned about the issues that teenagers were facing all over the country. This made her more aware of politics and social problems.

Career as a Poet and Writer

Major Achievements

When Monet was 19, she became the youngest poet ever to win the Grand Slam Champion title at the famous Nuyorican Poets Café. She was the last woman to win this title, which she won in 2007.

She studied at Sarah Lawrence College and later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in writing from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Published Works

Monet has published several books. Her first two were e-books called Black Unicorn Sings (2010) and Inner-City Chants and Cyborg Ciphers (2014). She also helped edit a collection of spoken-word poetry called Chorus: A Literary Mixtape (2012).

Her poetry collection, My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. A review in Publishers Weekly called her writing "stunning" and said she beautifully showed the journey from being a girl to becoming a woman.

She also contributed to the 2019 book New Daughters of Africa, which is a collection of writings by different authors.

Community and Activism Work

Monet uses her poetry to support important causes. In 2015, she spoke at an event for the #SayHerName movement. This movement works to bring attention to women who have been victims of police brutality.

In 2020, Monet supported Bernie Sanders during his campaign for president.

Music and Collaborations

Monet often works with musicians. In 2021, she released The FREE Tape with a group called Smoke Signals Collective. They described it as a "soundtrack for liberation."

In 2023, she released her first album, when the poems do what they do. The album features many talented musicians and received great reviews. The New York Times called it "a nuanced exploration of Blackness." The album was also nominated for a GRAMMY Award in 2024 for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.

Work in Miami

In 2015, Monet moved from Brooklyn to Miami to build an arts community focused on social justice.

Smoke Signals Studio

In Miami, Monet co-founded Smoke Signals Studio. It is an arts group for music, art, and community organizing. The studio uses a barter system. This means that for every hour an artist uses the studio, they give back an hour of their time to the community. For example, a guitar player might give a free guitar lesson.

VOICES: Poetry for the People

Monet also runs a poetry workshop called VOICES: Poetry for the People. This group helps people use poetry to fight for their communities. For example, they worked with residents of a mobile home park who were being forced to leave their homes by developers. This is often called gentrification.

The poetry workshops helped residents feel empowered to fight back. This project led to an art exhibit called Where the Land Is Free and the Maroon Poetry Festival in Miami.

Work in Palestine

Monet has also been involved in activism related to Palestine.

In 2015, she joined a flashmob in Nazareth. A flashmob is when a group of people suddenly assembles in a public place to perform for a brief time. This protest was organized by a group called the Dream Defenders. The group was there to see the effects of the Israeli occupation and to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. BDS is a non-violent movement that encourages people to put pressure on Israel to follow international law.

Monet has often spoken about the importance of supporting Palestinians. In 2020, she hosted a poetry reading for her Palestinian friends on Nakba Day. Nakba Day is the day that marks when many Palestinians were displaced from their homes in 1948.

In October 2023, she signed an open letter from artists to President Joe Biden. The letter asked for a ceasefire in the Israeli bombing of Gaza.

Discography

Albums

• When the Poems Do What They Do (2023)

Singles

• "Give My Regards to Brooklyn" (2022)
• "The Devil You Know" (2023)
• "For Sonia" (2023)