FANTA BALLO: Starting Next Chapter in Creative Writing

Fanta Ballo often says that growing up in Harlem raised both the artist, and the activist, in her. As a teenager, Ballo found that her voice was routinely silenced or overlooked, and so she turned to writing as a way to reclaim her agency, and help process the world around her. Finding her voice eventually culminated in the publication of her debut book of poetry in 2021, For All the Things I Never Got to Say, drawing inspiration from such diverse writers and thinkers as Jasmine Mans, Rudy Francisco, Shihan Van Clief, Chinua Achebe, Nikki Giovanni and Bettina Love.

Ballo eventually merged this passion for writing with spoken word performance, blending her penetrative, lyrical poetry with the immediacy of the stage. “My journey as a writer really accelerated through spoken word; the stage became a sacred space for me to merge storytelling, rhythm and truth” she says. Ballo’s growth, from overlooked teenager to self-possessed writer and performer, has brought her to the next stage in her journey: pursuing her MFA in the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes University.

Ballo weighed several factors when choosing Wilkes’ creative writing program, but one of the most important was the emphasis on mentorship. In the program, students choose to work in fiction, non-fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, poetry or spoken word, or any combination of these. They then work one-on-one with accomplished writers in their chosen genre(s) who help guide their creative projects, provide them crucial feedback and prepare their works for publication. “I was drawn to Wilkes because of its commitment to mentoring writers, not just academically but holistically,” she says.

Another thing that set the program apart for Ballo was the unique community of writers and artists it brings together, providing flexibility for writers like Ballo whose work falls somewhere in between genres. “I was looking for a community that values truth-telling, that nurtures creative risk and that offers both structure and freedom to grow as a multidisciplinary artist. I appreciated how Wilkes’ program makes space for writers like me with a hybrid voice, who exist somewhere between page and performance, poetry and activism.”

After finishing her first residency, Ballo knew she had made the right decision coming to Wilkes. “It’s been incredibly affirming…I feel seen. Not just as a poet, but as a full creative being with intersecting identities and a mission-driven practice.” Ballo says that the residency has inspired her to think more critically about her craft, while also remaining open to the new possibilities and forms her work can take.

While in the program, Ballo intends to concentrate on poetry, but also will be exploring other genres such as memoir and spoken word performance. She will produce new work that examines ideas of memory, migration, gender identity and what it means to “come home.” Additionally, she hopes to use her time in the program to evolve her one-woman show, Homecoming, blending together poetry, nonfiction and performance.

After the program, Ballo intends to continue writing, performing and working. She also plans to expand the work she does through her company, Ratty Reach, which aims to “empower people through the power of poetry.” She hopes to one day teach at the college level, and to continue working to create spaces for students to “discover their voices, challenge systems and build their own language for the world they’re navigating.”