Sana Sana — Ariana Brown
After ten years of performing her spoken-word poetry, Ariana Brown gathers her favorite poems in her chapbook Sana Sana. With a tender and critical voice, she explores Black girlhood, the possibilities of queerness, finding your people, and trying to survive capitalism. All are explored as acts of different kinds of love—for self, for lovers, for family, for community. Brown’s collection refuses singularity, insisting on the specificity of her own life and studies. As she writes toward her own healing, Brown asks readers to participate in the ceremony by serving as witnesses. Sana Sana, colita de rana, si no sana hoy, sana en la mañana.
Ariana Brown is a queer Black Mexican American poet from the Southside of San Antonio. She holds a B.A. in African Diaspora Studies and Mexican American Studies as well as an M.F.A. in Poetry. Ariana is the recipient of two Academy of American Poets Prizes and a 2014 national collegiate poetry slam champion. An alum of Brave New Voices, Ariana’s work has been featured in PBS, Huffington Post, For Harriet, and Remezcla. Dubbed a “part-time curandera,” Ariana has performed at venues across the U.S. including the San Antonio Guadalupe Theater, Harvard University, Michigan State University, Tucson Poetry Festival, and the San Francisco Opera Theatre. When she is not onstage, she is probably eating an avocado, listening to Ozuna, or validating Black girl rage in all its miraculous forms. Watch the music video for her poem “Ode to Thrift Stores” on YouTube and follow Ariana on Twitter and Instagram @arianathepoet. Find free downloadable lesson plans for some of Ariana’s poems at www.arianabrown.com.
