Denice Frohman is a poet, writer, performer and educator, whose work explores the intersections of
race,
gender
Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most culture ...
, and
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied wit ...
. Frohman uses her experience as a
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the l ...
woman from a multi-cultural (
Puerto Rican and
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
)
background in her writing. By addressing identity, her work encourages communities to challenge the dominant social constructs and oppressive narratives in place that are currently working against concepts of unity and
equity
Equity may refer to:
Finance, accounting and ownership
*Equity (finance), ownership of assets that have liabilities attached to them
** Stock, equity based on original contributions of cash or other value to a business
** Home equity, the diff ...
. Her message is about claiming the power to be who you are. She was born and raised in New York City, and earned her master's degree in
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
from
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, ...
.
Awards and partnerships
Denice Frohman won the 2013
Women of the World Poetry Slam The Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS) is an annual poetry slam put on by Poetry Slam, Inc. The tournament features individual slam poets from around the world that "live their lives as women" competing to be the highest ranked woman poet in th ...
Championship. Denice is also a 2014
CantoMundo
CantoMundo is an American literary organization founded in 2009 to support Latino poets and poetry. It hosts an annual poetry workshop dedicated to the creation, documentation, and critical analysis of Latinx poetry.
History
CantoMundo was founded ...
Fellow, 2014 National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures
Fund for the Arts
grant recipient, 2013 Hispanic Choice Award recipient for "Creative Artist of the Year," 2013 Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, and 2012 Leeway Transformation Award recipient. Frohman was partnered with fellow Women of the World Champion for 2014 and 2012 Dominique Christina as an award-winning spoken word duo, Sister Outsider. The two toured nationally, appearing at schools such as
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...
and conferences such as College Union Poetry Slam Invitational.
Career
Frohman's work has been commissioned by ESPN,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
's citywide "UnLitter Us" Campaign and GALAEI (Gay and Lesbian Latino Aids Education Initiative). Videos of her performances have appeared in the
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
,
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
,
Upworthy
Upworthy is a website dedicated to positive storytelling. It was started in March 2012 by Eli Pariser, the former executive director of MoveOn, and Peter Koechley, the former managing editor of ''The Onion''. One of Facebook's co-founders, Chris ...
,
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, and literary publications such as ''Narrative Northeast'.'' Frohman's poem "Accents" serves as a reminder of the beauty of all accents. She has performed and taught poetry across the country and internationally. In 2016, she performed at the White House.
She has been interviewed by
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, and ''
Philadelphia Weekly
''Philadelphia Weekly'' (''PW'') is a website based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a newspaper in 1971 as ''The Welcomat'', a sister publication to the ''South Philadelphia Press''. In 1995, the paper became ''Philadelphia Weekl ...
'',
among other news sources.
See also
*''
Ahead of the Curve''
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frohman, Denice
Living people
Writers from New York City
Poets from New York (state)
21st-century American poets
American women poets
Slam poets
Drexel University alumni
American LGBT poets
LGBT people from New York (state)
21st-century American women writers
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American LGBT people