| Kameisha Jerae Hodge | |
| Birth Date: | 1 November 1989 |
| Birth Place: | Washington, D.C., USA |
| Occupation: | Writer, editor, poet, spoken word artist |
| Alma Mater: | Lafayette College (BA) Southern New Hampshire University (MA) |
| Genres: | --> |
| Subjects: | --> |
| Spouses: | --> |
| Partners: | --> |
Kameisha Jerae Hodge (pronounced /kəmiːʃə dʒɛreɪ hɒdʒ/; born November 1, 1989) is an American writer, publisher, poet, and spoken word artist from Washington, D.C.[1] She is the founder and CEO of Sovereign Noir Publications, a publishing company established in 2019 that elevates Black women's voices.[2]
Hodge was born in 1989 in Washington, D.C., the oldest of eleven, and she, a brother, and a sister were raised by their mother Sabrina.[3] [4] For a while, they were homeless, staying with relatives or at homeless shelters.[5]
Hodge began reading in poetry competitions while in middle school.[6] In tenth grade, she met her mentor, Yolonda D. Coleman, who introduced her to journalism, publishing, and writing and taught her how to "exist in the industry as a Black girl".[2] [4] Coleman-Body encouraged Hodge to write for Rated-T, the school magazine; Hodge became a reporter, writer, and editor.[7] [6] She also served as the Editor-in-Chief of Knight Vision, the school newspaper. She graduated from Friendship Collegiate Academy Public Charter School in 2007.[8] [9]
Hodge attended Lafayette College as a Posse Scholar and English and Africana major and quickly became involved with campus life.[10] [11]
She served as the VP of Writing Organization Reaching Dynamic Students, a student arts group; performed at mic nights and poetry slams; started Lafayette's step team; was resident of the Association of Black Collegians; co-hosted a radio show with DJ Spyda Da Don; and oversaw the African-Caribbean interest floor in her dorm.[5] [10] [11] [9] [12] She also interned at MTV's development department for The N during her summer break.[10] [13] While there, she was a live audience member for Total Request Live and in the pilot episode of Dance or Drop, a proposed MTV show.[14] She graduated from Lafayette in 2012 with a BA in English and moved on to pursue an MA in English and creative writing with a concentration in poetry from Southern New Hampshire University.[15] [1]
She also has a certificate in publishing.[6]
Hodge self-published her first poetry collection, Atlas of Consciousness, in 2010 while still a student at Lafayette.[16] [17] Since then, two more collections have been published: Double Consciousness: An Autoethnic Guide to My Black American Experience (July 2014) and Woman. Queer. Black. (November 2021).[18] She has been a #1 bestselling author on Amazon, is published in the Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives, and was a TEDx speaker at Lafayette College.[16] [1] [19] [20] [18] [17] She has also worked with Martha's Table, NPR, WAMU, UrRepublic, and Viacom.[17] [21]
Hodge founded Sovereign Noir Publications, a publisher focused on elevating Black women writers, in 2019.[4] [1] She and high school classmate Charles Smith founded i2Kings1Queen Publishing.[9] She is also a mentor for the First Ladies of Poverty Foundation.[1]
Hodge is a lesbian.[2]
Hodge has a beloved dog named sparky
Hodge is a devoted fan to Ni'Jah
| Year | Award Name | Award Body | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Editor's Choice Award | ||
| 2008 | Editor's Choice Award | ||
| 2008 | Silver Communicator Award | International Academy of the Visual Arts | |
| 2008 | Poems and Poets of the Year Award | ||
| 2009 | Aaron O. Hoff Program of the Year Award | ||
| 2011 | Certificate of Academic Acknowledgement | The McDonogh Network (Lafayette College) | |
| 2012 | Honorary Founder Award | Precision Step Team (Lafayette College) | |
| 2012 | Global Cultural Competition | Café de la Penseé | |
| 2014 | Hey Grow! Hero Award | Directions for Our Youth | |
| 2014 | Poetry Book of the Year | Rainbow Rendezvous | |
| 2016 | Best Nonfiction Author | Rainbow Rendezvous | [22] |
| 2016 | Poet of the Year | Rainbow Rendezvous | |
| 2016 | Best Poetry Book of 2016 | Rainbow Rendezvous | |
| 2017 | Social Marketer Certification | [23] | |