I am a poet, writer, and multidisciplinary artist whose work blurs the line between page poetry and social forms. I am interested in the ways that relations are created—-between humans, and between humans and the planet. Co-designing across asymmetries of power, my work investigates who or what our relations serve and draws from contemplative practice to imagine futures of repair.
Much of the work my collaborators and I do is not made public, a practice we call “translucency,” or, selectively drawing attention to our authorship so as to overturn oppressive power dynamics.
My poetry books are Dark~Sky Society (2014), and the chapbook Bird in the Head (2005); nonfiction has appeared in Boston Review, Salon.com, the anthology, A Sense of Regard: Essays on Poetry and Race, as well as other places. Some places my poems have appeared include American Poetry Review, Harvard Review Online, POETRY, The Rumpus, and been featured in a Bill Moyers’ “Civic Poetry” special, curated by Kyle Dargan.
I’m grateful to have been honored with support from Yaddo, MacDowell, the Maryland State Arts Council, and many other places.
I live in Baltimore. If you’re moved to, reach out; I welcome new verse-family, colleagues, friends.
ailishhopper [at] gmail.com