Ashley Crooks-Allen – “Sheltered in Place”

I am a Sociology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia, where I focus on Black immigrant identity and social movements. My primary method of data collection is interviewing because I hold the epistemic belief that people are experts in their own lives and experiences. I have always been passionate about story-telling. Before I even knew what a sociologist was, I was a poet. I graduated from Emory University with a major in creative writing and a minor in sociology. At Emory, I was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow where my research centered Caribbean literature. Although I am from Irvington, NJ, I am of Afro-Costa Rican descent so these narratives felt like home to me. In conjunction with academia, I continue to devote time to spoken word poetry and activism. I have been performing spoken word for 10 years. I have performed at UGA’s NAACP image awards and our #SayHerName vigil in 2019. I performed and competed in numerous venues and events along the east coast, including NYC’s Bowery Poetry. I wrote and co-directed a play produced by Emory University’s multicultural theater collective entitled “Candles.” I have also acted in the “Vagina Monologues” and “Mirrors” at Emory. My work was published in “The Pulse: Emory Student Anthology of the Arts.” I am very excited to share this project with you.

[Ashley Crooks-Allen’s Flagpole interview]

Visit Ashley Crooks-Allen’s Sheltered in Place website, featuring recorded readings of their poems.

Read Sheltered in Place