Dr. Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman served as the second Poet Laureate of Prince George's County, Maryland, from her selection on May 1, 2023, until her resignation on April 30, 2025. Throughout her nearly two-year tenure, she maintained a steady public presence through a monthly newsletter, "From the Desk of the Poet Laureate," which shared updates on arts funding, literary happenings, and local poets and entrepreneurs across the county.

Her tenure was marked by extensive community engagement and educational outreach. She facilitated numerous writing workshops, including "Writing a Short Play" at the DC Public Library, "Writing for Liberation" at Mahogany Books, and a virtual "Impact Storytelling" workshop with Common Ground on the Hill. She also launched the inaugural Black Writers for Peace & Social Justice Youth Media Academy for teenagers and led a multi-day writing retreat in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In May 2024, she founded the nonprofit Black Writers for Peace and Social Justice, Inc., and later that year began soliciting submissions for two new digital journals — one for the county's Poet Laureate program and one for her nonprofit. She received two Artist Fellowship grants from Prince George's Arts and Humanities Council during her Poet Laureate appointment.

Dr. Ali-Coleman is also a prolific performer and public speaker, and during her tenure in the role presented poetry at events ranging from Juneteenth celebrations and library programs to a poetry presentation at the unveiling of a Langston Hughes statue in Havana, Cuba, and two performances on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage with her group, Liberated Muse — the second of which, "Soundtrack of Social Justice," received national media coverage. She published two books during her tenure, The Summoning of Black Joy and For the Girls Who Do Too Much, and distributed copies widely at schools and community events. Highlighted events included her annual Poets Day Party, Poets in the Park meetups, and her workshop, "Developing a Liberation-Centered Writing Practice." Her work was recognized with a Maryland General Assembly citation, a 2024 UMBC Outstanding Alumni Award, and an invitation to deliver UMBC's commencement keynote in December 2024, where her spoken-word performance earned a standing ovation.

In her final months as Poet Laureate, she continued organizing literary programming, including a virtual MLK tribute event, panel discussions on Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement writers at Prince George's County libraries, and school presentations for National Poetry Month, before stepping down from the role on April 30, 2025 upon relocating to Baltimore, Maryland.

Here is a list of the distinct venues where Dr. Ali-Coleman presented, performed, or facilitated during her tenure as Poet Laureate:

• Annapolis Friends, Annapolis, MD (Wellness REFRESH event)
• Artstination (Poets Day Party, multiple events)
• Bladensburg Library, PGCMLS
• Blue Ridge Mountains, VA (writing retreat)
• Bowie Branch Library, PGCMLS
• Bowie State University
• Busboys and Poets, 450 & K Street, Washington, DC
• Busboys and Poets, Hyattsville
• Chillum Elementary School
• City of Bowie (Juneteenth event)
• City of Laurel (Black history program)
• Compass Art Center, Kensington, MD (WCADC exhibition)
• Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD
• DC Public Library, PGCMLS
• Fort Washington Business Group, Livingston Rd, Fort Washington, MD
• FSC First Harlem Nights Event
• Havana, Cuba (Langston Hughes statue unveiling)
• James Madison University (Furious Flower Poetry Center conference)
• Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage
• Largo-Kettering Library, PGCMLS
• Laurel Branch Library, PGCMLS
• Laurel High School, Laurel, MD
• Mahogany Books, National Harbor
• National Harbor (Juneteenth events, multiple)
• Newton-White Mansion, Bowie, MD
• Oxon Hill Branch Library, PGCMLS
• Oxon Hill High School (Teen Literary Conference, consultant role)
• Pathways Magazine Literary Salon, Hilton Tysons Corner, McLean, VA
• Prince George's County parks — Cosca Park, Fort Washington Park, Watkins Park, and Allen Pond Park (Quiet Meet-ups series)
• Sankofa Books, Washington, DC
• South Bowie Branch Library, PGCMLS
• Surratts-Clinton Library, PGCMLS
• Tanger Outlet, National Harbor
• UMBC, Baltimore, MD (Outstanding Alumni ceremony and commencement keynote)
• Upper Marlboro Library, , PGCMLS

Today, as Prince George's County, MD Poet Laureate, I had the privilege of presenting poetry to students receiving legislative scholarships during today’s beautiful event presented by Delegate Marvin Holmes and his team. What I didn’t expect was to receive this citation from his office. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Special thanks to his Chief of Staff, MJ Sutton who coordinated everything beautifully and is such a kind and high vibration human, so needed in this world. Congratulations to all of the scholarship recipients!

- Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman

New Poet Laureate to Lead Prince George’s County Office of Poet Laureate and Continue Efforts to Advance Poetry and Literary Arts in Prince George’s County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT

Kisha Mason    
Director of Marketing Communications
kmason@pgahc.org 
301-772-8943


April 26, 2023––Largo, MD–– The Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is proud to announce the appointment of Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. as the new Prince George’s County Poet Laureate. This esteemed honor recognizes Dr. Ali-Coleman’s exceptional contributions to the literary arts and her commitment to promoting poetry in Prince George’s County.

A highly respected poet and educator, Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. brings a wealth of experience and talent to the position. She is a cultural curator, community organizer, nationally recognized speaker, and writer based out of Fort Washington, MD. She is the author of the children’s book Mariah’s Maracas and co-editor of the book Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture. Her collection of poetry is featured in the first and second volumes of the anthology series The Fire Inside: Collected Stories and Poems from Zora’s Den and featured in over a dozen recordings and broadcast presentations. She has edited three volumes of poetry and short fiction for Liberated Muse, including Volume I: How I Freed My Soul, Volume II: Betrayal Wears a Pretty Face and Volume III: Creases Expelled from the Fold.  Additionally, Dr. Ali-Coleman has been an active participant in the local literary community, organizing readings, workshops, and other events to promote poetry and support emerging writers.

“I am thrilled to be selected as the 2023 Prince George's County Poet Laureate. It is an extreme honor to be recognized for my work as a literary artist with a history of implementing rich programming that revolves around literacy and the arts,” said Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D.  “I follow in the footsteps of J. "Sistah Joy" Alford, who has left behind a remarkable legacy as the inaugural Poet Laureate. I will strive to continue the impressive visibility and connectivity to the community that the Office of the Poet Laureate has fostered.”

As Poet Laureate, Dr. Ali-Coleman will serve as an ambassador for poetry and the literary arts in Prince George’ County. In this role, she will work closely with the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council to promote, support, and highlight literary arts and culture by promoting a countywide appreciation of poetry through engaging programs and services for county residents and youth, and to partner with and celebrate the contributions of local writers.

“Dr. Ali-Coleman’s exceptional talent and dedication to the literary arts make her an ideal choice for the County’s next Poet Laureate,” said Rhonda Dallas, CEO and Chief Curator of PGAHC. “We are thrilled to have her serve in this important role and look forward to their contributions to our community.”

Khadijah’s Z. Ali-Coleman, Ed.D. holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (African American Studies and Mass Media) and a minor in Writing from the University of Maryland Baltimore, County; a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Towson University and a doctorate in education from Morgan State University. Her term as Poet Laureate will begin on May 1, 2023, and will run for three years.

About PGAHC 

As the legislated local arts agency for Prince George’s County, PGAHC fosters and expands art opportunities for all County citizens and visitors to create a world-class cultural environment where high-quality arts and humanities programs are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. PGAHC leverages its partnerships to support and provide various arts and cultural programming opportunities, art-centered economic development programs, grants as well as advocacy initiatives for legislative support of the arts on the County and State levels.