Franny Choi


Franny Choi is a Korean-American queer writer and poet. She has published many poems focusing on social activism and equality. Her poetry has won awards and has been highlighted in many journals and magazines. She has competed in many slam poetry competitions, where she became increasingly known as a poet. Choi is also known for writing poetry for the rapper Lil Wayne.

Personal life

She lives in Northhampton. Her fascination with poetry began when she was in the third or fourth grade. She enjoyed the action of ordering words together in such a way that they provided profound meaning. As her love for poetry grew, she began to identify and to use poetry as a means of coping with real life experiences. In high school, Choi was introduced to poet Allen Ginsberg and fell in love with poetry’s spoken form. In college, she joined a group for marginalized spoken poets, called WORD!, which was her introduction to the world of slam poetry. She graduate from Brown University with a B.A. in Literary Arts and Ethnic Studies on 2011 and get M.F.A. from University of Michigan in Creative Writing from.

Education and career

After graduating, she becames a Co-Director Providence Poetry Slam. She found Dark Noise Collective with Fatimah Asghar, Danez Smith, Jamila Woods, Nate Marshall, and Aaron Samuels on 2012.
Currently, Choi is working for Hyphen Magazine, a non-profit Asian culture publication, as News Editor. She is also a co-host with Danez Smith of the podcast VS.

Themes

Choi's poems focus on self-identity and her struggles in a white-dominated society.Another poem, "Too Many Truths," deals with identity and what it means to be alive within a certain identity.

Awards

Choi is a two-time winner of the Rust-Belt Poetry Slam.

Activism

Choi promotes social activism through her poetry and writing. In her poem "Whiteness Walks Into A Bar," she brings to light the institutionalized racism in the United States.
She also advocates for feminism through her poetry, such as in "furiosa."
Choi curated 12 queer poet from the Pacific Islands.

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