Kathya Alexander

Growing up in the South as a child of the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement greatly impacted my life and continues to influence my writing. My memories of that time are deeply personal and are still filled with the sights and sounds of the music, rage, revolution, and redemption of the era. 

My plays explore the beauty and complexity of contemporary African American life. My goal as a playwright is to investigate how living in America affects the lives of Black Americans and how life in this country is influenced by Black culture. 

Writing, for me, has always been a way to make sense of the world in which I live, traveling as I am, clothed in the skin of Black woman. In addition to working with adults, I am also a teaching artist who works with African American and other youth of color guiding them to tell their own stories through poetry and plays.