Latrina Kelly-James

Bio

Latrina Kelly-James is a 2024 Anaphora Arts Writing Fellow, and a writer who believes that words have the energy to liberate and heal.

In 2023 she published a collection of poetry and essays Taking The L: Words for Liberation.  She previously published a poetry chapbook, Unraveling. She studied English Literature at Southern Connecticut State University. Having worked for many years in the social justice and non-profit realm, only over the past three years has she made a spiritual move to fully dedicate her time and energy to writing again. 

Latrina is a native of New Haven, CT, and a daughter of the African American Great Migration, with roots in Wayne County, North Carolina and Berkeley County, South Carolina.  She currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two daughters.

Latrina is currently working on a semi-fictional memoir reflecting on her maternal health journey as a Black woman, and its ties to her maternal female ancestors’  maternal health experiences, primarily in South Carolina, during American slavery to present.

She does this work for her ancestors and her children.