Poets Café
As part of the National Black Writers Conference, the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College presents a poetry café featuring four amazing poets: Angela Du, Kaiyah Ellison, Bonafide Rojas, and Zora Satchel.
Participants
Angela Du is a young poet, actress, and model. Angela grew up in the New York City Metro area. Her passion for writing sparked in the summer of 2022, when she attended her school’s summer poetry writing program. In 2024, she won first place in the 27th annual Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest with her poem “Stories of Us.” Subsequently, she was invited to appear on ABC’s Good Morning America and shared her thoughts on her poem. The poem was also published on the Skipping Stones Magazine and the American Immigration Council website. In October 2024, she was interviewed by the poet and broadcast journalist Amanda Eke and is now a part of The Poet Speaks with Amanda Eke, a TV show that is streaming on Heritage Broadcasting and Roku.
Kaiyah Ellison is a college senior with a passion for weaving words into vibrant, thought-provoking stories and poetry. Currently pursuing a degree in English Literature, she draws inspiration from life’s fleeting moments and personal experiences; Her work has been featured in the Medgar Evers College literary journal as well. When not writing, Kaiyah enjoys exploring the newest library, immersing herself in music, and diving into a new book. As a spring author, she looks forward to sharing her voice and connecting with fellow poetry enthusiasts.
Bonafide Rojas is a Poet, Musician, & has five collections of poetry: Excelsior, Notes On The Return To The Island, Renovatio, When The City Sleeps, & Pelo Bueno. He is a Mellon-Flamboyan Letras Boricuas Fellow & has appeared on Def Poetry Jam. He’s performed at Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Museum, Philadelphia Museum Of Art, Bowery Ballroom, Konvent Zero Barcelona, Spoken Word Paris, Latinale Berlin/Hamburg, & Festival De La Palabra Puerto Rico. He’s an avid collector of pop culture & only wears red socks.
Zora Satchel is a Black and Chinese American queer poet, editor, and cinephile who writes about food, sex, film, family, and friendship. Her work has been published in Honey Literary, Drunk Monkeys Magazine, Stone of Madness Press, and elsewhere. She was In Surreal Life and Emotional Historians Fellow for the summer of 2024 and the 2021 Winter/Spring Brooklyn Poets Fellow. She has performed with Brooklyn Poets, Blasian March, KGB Bar, Priyo, Glow in the City: Unplugged, and elsewhere.

BPL Presents programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
