Junauda Petrus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Junauda Petrus
Born	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Occupation	Author, filmmaker
Genre	Young adult fiction
Notable awards	Coretta Scott King Honor Award (2020)
Spouse	Ngowo Nasah

Junauda Juanita Petrus-Nasah is an American author and filmmaker. She is also a performance artist and a "pleasure activist." She has been named a Poet Laureate. Her first novel, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award.

Early Life and Education

Junauda Petrus was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her family has roots in the Afro-Caribbean islands. Her mother was born in Trinidad, and her father was from the US Virgin Islands. They later moved to Minnesota.

When she was a child, Junauda dreamed of becoming an astronaut. She loved reading books by authors like Maya Angelou and Alice Walker. She met her wife, Ngowo Nasah, who is from Cameroon, when she was 34 years old.

Petrus studied Social Justice and the African Diaspora at Hamline University. After college, she trained in dance at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She also learned circus skills at a school in Vermont. Later, she moved back to Minnesota.

Creative Works and Career

Junauda Petrus creates many different types of art. Her work often includes themes about Black culture and community. She also writes about friendship, identity, and healing.

Plays and Poems

In 2015, Petrus's play There Are Other Worlds was performed. She also co-wrote a play called Queen in 2016. This play was partly inspired by her poem "Could we please give the police departments to the grandmothers?" This poem was later included in a book called How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation. A picture book based on the poem was released in 2023.

In 2016, the City of Minneapolis asked Petrus to write three poems. These poems were for a public art project. One of her poems was not allowed, and she had to write a different one.

Novels and Films

Her novel, The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, came out in 2019. It tells the story of two 16-year-old Black girls in Minneapolis. The book has been very popular. In February 2021, Petrus shared that she was working on turning her novel into a movie.

After the murder of George Floyd, Petrus wrote a short piece. It was called "Sweetness for George."

Free Black Dirt Collective

Junauda Petrus is a writer connected to The Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis. She also helped start a group called Free Black Dirt. This group is made up of writers and artists. They aim to start important conversations through their art. The group also helps new artists show their plays and performances.

Petrus calls herself a "pleasure activist." She believes her art has "healing power." She writes about desire and pleasure in her work. She has also written about pleasure activism in a book by Adrienne Maree Brown. This book explains that social justice work can be a joyful experience.

Awards and Recognition

Junauda Petrus has received several awards for her work.

In 2016, she was named a Twin Cities artist of the year. This award was given by City Pages.

In 2020, her novel The Stars and the Blackness Between Them won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. This award recognizes outstanding books for children and young adults.

Petrus has also received several fellowships. These are special grants that support artists. She is the City of Minneapolis Poet Laureate for 2025–2026.

Personal Life

Junauda Petrus lives in Minneapolis with her wife, Ngowo Nasah, and their family.