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Juanita Torrence-Thompson is a published poet and the former owner, Editor-in-Chief and publisher of
32-year old international literary magazine, Möbius, The Poetry Magazine.
Möbius, The Poetry Magazine 25th Anniversary (2007), Mobius 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions were selected by Small Magazine Review as a best poetry magazine.
**** See Videos from MÖBIUS 25th Anniversary Celebration on YouTube!
Among her many honors, Juanita Torrence-Thompson has been nominated “2009 WOMAN OF THE YEAR” by The American Biographical Institute Board of International Research.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW),
New York City Branch, named Juanita Torrence-Thompson
as one of 10 women who “MADE A DIFFERENCE” and broke
down barriers. Juanita, they said, has been dedicated to Black
History and Diversity. This honor is denoted in a color booklet
of photos and bios of the women, published by AAUW.
**** SEE THE 2012 DR. ZYLPHA MAPP ROBINSON INTERNATIONAL POETRY AWARD WINNERS at: www.mobiuspoetry.com.
Poems from her 6th poetry book, Breath-Life, (Scopcraeft
Press 2009) were nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her 7th book, Talking With Stanley Kunitz, was a finalist in the prestigious Many Mountains Moving Poetry Competition.
New York and African Tapestries (Fly By Night Press, 2007) was a Small Press Review “BEST PICK”. Please see her books on the poetry, calendar & ordering pages.
Juanita studied poetry with CORNELIUS EADY at Cave Canem in New York and
YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA at Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and received her certificate in poetry from the University of Wisconsin. This culminated in
publication of her first poetry book, Wings Span to Eternity,
then Spanning the Years, which was endorsed by poets Rochelle
Ratner, Maria Mazziotti Gillan as well as EBONY, Newsday
and New York Trend. Celebrating a Tapestry of Life,
her third book, was endorsed by Gordon Parks, Nikki Giovanni, Daniela
Gioseffi, Laura Boss, Tom McKeown, Dr. George Dawson and Barbara
Hantman etc. as well as Merle English of Newsday. Celebrating
a Tapestry of Life and Spanning the Years were published
by Torderwarz Publishing Company. Celebrating a Tapestry of Life
is in the English Library in Zurich, Switzerland as well as libraries, colleges and schools here and abroad. Breath-Life and New York and African Tapestries are in the Main Library at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, etc. Read poets Pam Bernard and Thaddeus Rutkowski
reviews of her poetry audiobook Poetry Among The Flowers: Queens Meets
Asia on her poetry audiobook page.
Juanita Torrence-Thompson has lectured and read at the Hilton during the 2006
National Federation of Poetry Societies, Inc. convention in San Antonio, Texas and at Poets House and the New York Poetry Forum in New York City. She has been invited to speak and read numerous times by the American
Association of University Women (AAUW) and has also spoken at 100 Black
Women of Long Island in New York. She has also read with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa & other award-winners such as Sonia Sanchez, Cornelius Eady, Daniela Gioseffi, Colette Inez, Hal Sirowitz, Stephen Stepanchev, Louis Reyes Rivera, Samuel Menashe, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Laura Boss, Thaddeus Rutkowski, Rochelle Ratner, John Amen and more.
She has been interviewed & read on TV & radio, including: TV Eyewitness News (Hartford, CT), QPTV (NY) (many times), & Caribbean Classroom by John Crow; NY Cable Growing With Grace, Manhattan Cable TV Flying Fish. Cablevision Ch 20 LI Poets on Film interview by Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan & JTT solo reading; Time Warner Cable, Brooklyn by Alfred P. Harris. -- RADIO: Bombay, INDIA; WLRN (National Public Radio); WPOW (Miami) WAFG (Ft. Lauderdale FL); WNYE, NY (many times); WLIB (NY) Felipe Luciano Show. WWRL, (NY) WBAI many times) & Perspectives reading with Suffolk County Poet Laureate, Daniel Thoms Moran, & interiwed by/Louis Reyes Rivera; WILD (Boston) To the Point; WNUA (Chicago); WBAA (Indiana); WAIC Tony Gill Show & The Gospel Hour Springfield. MA; WBET (many times) (Brockton, MA).
She is a critic and judges local, state, national and international poetry
contests. She also writes poetry columns for newspapers in New York and Massachusetts: The Culvert Chronicles and Point of View and is a former poetry columnist for New
Voice of New York.
Juanita Torrence-Thompson won fifth prize in the national Writers Digest Poetry Award out of 4,000 poems submitted. She also won second prize in the Spoken Word Poetry Contest
by New York Association of Black Journalists, and First Prize in
the New York Public Library Poetry Contest (Adult Division) as
well as Editors Choice Awards from The Robins Nest
and The Nashville Newsletter. She won second prize in the
Poetry Society of Michigan International Poetry Contest for 3
poems in categories of: humor, free verse and rhyming verse. She
also won honorable mention twice for the Margaret A Walker Short
Fiction Competition, the Paul Laurence Dunbar Poetry Award, the
Writers Digest Contest for feature articles and childrens
fiction. Juanitas feature articles, short stories, and hundreds of poems are in or forthcoming in dozens of magazines including: Black Enterprise, YSB Magazine, Class Magazine, Minority Business Journal, Adjunct Advocate, Paterson Literary Review. Lips, The American BahaI, Main Street Rag, Möbius The Poetry Magazine, Poetry Nottingham (UK), Jones Avenue (Canada), Quantum Leap (Scotland), Speed Poet (Australia), Spillway Magazine, Aim Magazine, Phantasmagoria, Westview: A Journal of Western Oklahoma, California Quarterly, Caprice, The Montserrat Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, Clark Street Review, Bears Tale (Livingstone College), Yefief, New Laurel Review, Art With Words, Edgz, Freshet, Chaminade Literary Review,The Courier, Appearances, Laurels, Pegasus, Tucumcari Literary Review, Feelings, Bay State Echo, Haydens Poetry Review, Array, Nashville Newsletter, Opened Eyes, Robins Nest, Footlights, Snails Pace Review, Curbside, San Fernando Poetry Journal, One Womans Network, Womens Work, Fauquier Poetry Journal, Spotlight News, Sublime Odyssey, Intercultural Writers Reiew, Theme Poetry, Poets Review, Best of Feelings, Merlanas Magickal Messages, Poetry Motel, Poetic Realm, etc.
Online or anthologies include: The Pedestal Magazine, Marsh Hawk Review, Ars Poetica (online and print), Identity Theory, Saturday at the Diner, Plato, Forgotten Borough, The Cento, Brownstone Poets Anthology, Poem Home, Long Island Sounds Anthology, Pedestal Magazine (9/11 book of 100 poets worldwide), Amazing Grace, An Eye for an Eye Makes the Whole World Blind (100 poets worldwide on 9/11), The Spirit in the Words, Conceit Magazine, The Bracelet Charm, New Mirage Journal, and First Literary Review (East).
Many newspapers including her print and online poetry columns in The Culvert Chronicles (New York) and Point of View (Massachusetts).
She has come full circle to performing and writing. As a
precocious 10-year old in Massachusetts she wrote, directed and
starred in her first play which was exhibited during Black History
Month in Boston. As an actress-singer, she appeared in London,
England; New York and New Jersey in revivals of Arthur Millers
The Crucible, Douglas Turner Wards Day of Absence and Sophie
Treadwells Obie-winning Machinal. Now she mesmerizes audiences
as she reads her poetry in Singapore, Switzerland, Canada and at the University
of Cape Town in South Africa as well as at numerous U.S. colleges
and universities including Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Barnard
College, New York University, Howard, Georgetown, University of
Chicago, University of Miami, Rutgers, Penn State, Fordham, New School University, Queens College, Queensborough Community College, BMCC, Wayne State,
Livingstone College and many more. She had also read at various
elementary, junior high and high schools such as the UN International
School, John Bowne High School, Martin Van Buren High School, Brockton High School (Massachusetts), Pompano Beach High School (Florida), and at libraries in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester, Massachusetts Florida and Michigan. Bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, Borders and independent stores in New York, Massachusetts and Florida. Also: UNITY journalists convention in Seattle, WA, Detroit Writers Conference, Queens Botanical Garden (solo reading), Alley Pond Environmental Center (many times), Nuyorican Café, etc. See Calendar.
Torrence-Thompson received her M.A. from Fordham University and B.S. from SUNY, Empire State College. She holds or held memberships in Queens Council on the Arts, The Poetry Society of America, Academy of American Poets, Poets
& Writers, Poets House, The Fresh Meadows Poets, Brevitas,
The Society
of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators, The National Association
of Black Journalists, Native American Journalists Association,
Black Americans in Publishing and the American Association of University Women.
Several of Juanita Torrence-Thompson’s poetry books have been accepted for years into collections at U.S. universities, schools, libraries, bookstores and international libraries in Europe, etc. Recently The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago, W.I.) added her New York & African Tapestries and Breath-Life books to their collection. Also, the University of New Hampshire is adding Ms. Torrence-Thompson’s last three titles as well as the 30th Anniversary edition of Mobius, The Poetry Magazine to their impressive collection. Her 8th book, The Secret Life of Scrambled Eggs, is now available here.
She may be contacted for poetry readings/speaking at:
Torderwarz Publishing Company,
P.O. Box 671058
Flushing, New York 11367-1058
Email: poetrytownjtt@gmail.com
Website: www.poetrytown.com
For further information, please consult directories, including
Whos Who in the World, Whos Who in America, Whos Who of American Women, A Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers, International
Authors and Writers Whos Who, Dictionary of International Biography
and Whos Who Among African Americans.
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