Arleta Little – My North & The Art of the Personal Essay

Описание: Arleta Little is a poet, writer, and culture worker with a deep passion for the natural world that is expressed in the literary arts, gardening, hiking, and retreats. Arleta’s latest book of poetry, Black Swallowtail, pairing her poetry with paintings by visual artist Ta-coumba T. Aiken in the African tradition of call and response, was published by the Duluth Art Institute. Her recent poems and essays have appeared in multiple journals and publications, including We Are Meant to Rise: Voices for Justice from Minneapolis to the World (UMN Press); Blues Vision: African American Writing From Minnesota (MNHS Press); The Saint Paul Almanac; Black Literacy Matters; This was 2020 and more. Her essay, Life and Death in the North Star State, published in Water-Stone Review, was nominated for a Pushcart

Prize. She is a co-author, along with Josie Johnson and Carolyn Holbrook, of Hope in the Struggle: A Memoir about the life of Josie R. Johnson, published by the University of Minnesota Press. In addition to being an author, Arleta has worked for more than two decades in nonprofit organizations and in philanthropy, serving in executive leadership, program officer, and consulting roles. She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and meditation practitioner. Arleta currently serves as the Executive & Artistic Director for the Loft Literary Center.