Pamela Sneed

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Pamela Sneed
Pamela Sneed The Laura Flanders Show 2018.jpg
Sneed reads on The Laura Flanders Show in 2018
Alma materThe New School
Long Island University
Notable work
Funeral Diva
AwardsLambda Literary Award

Pamela Sneed is an American poet, performance artist,[1][2] actress, activist, and teacher. Her book, Funeral Diva, is a memoir in poetry and prose about growing up during the AIDS crisis, and the winner of the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for lesbian poetry.[3]

Early life[]

Sneed earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lang College at The New School and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in New Media Art and Performance in 2008 at Long Island University.[4]

Writing[]

Sneed is the author of two collections of poetry, Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom Than Slavery (Henry Holt, 1998), and KONG And Other Works (Vintage Entity Press, 2009) and the chapbook, Lincoln (2014).[5] Her poem "Parable of the Sower" was anthologized in The 100 Best African American Poems,[6] edited by Nikki Giovanni. Her poem "Survivor 2014" appears in Nepantla: An Anthology of Queer Poets of Color (Nightboat Books, 2018).[7] Her 2016 publications include work in Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays[8] and Future Perfect.[9] Her poems "Born Frees" (2019), "Never Again" (2020), and "I Can't Breathe" (2020) have been published by the Academy of American Poets website, poets.org.[10]

She published a remembrance of the artist and colleague Frederick Weston in Artforum.[11]

Sneed's memoir, Funeral Diva, a poetry and prose book was published by City Lights Publishers in 2020.[12] The book documents growing up in the midst of the AIDS crisis, and focuses specifically on the experiences of Black queer women.[13][14][15]

Performances[]

Sneed has held readings and performances at Center Stage at the Studio Museum in Harlem, P.S. 122, Creative Time @ The Brooklyn Anchorage, Exit Art, Lincoln Center Ex-Teresa in Mexico City, The Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, The Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow, Scotland, The Green Room in Manchester, England, Literatur Werkstat in Berlin. She also headlined the New Work Now Festival at Joe’s Pub/Public Theater in 2005. In 2018 she was a presenter at the 30th Annual Lambda Literary Awards.[16][17]

Sneed was also involved in Dyke TV, a nationally broadcast grassroots lesbian television program, from its inception in 1993.[18] She appeared weekly on the show as the presenter for the arts segment until 1996.[18]

In 2016 Sneed appeared in the live visuals for musician Anohni's song "Execution" on the HOPELESSNESS World Tour.

Academic career[]

An out lesbian,[19] Sneed taught voice, performance and autobiographical writing at Long Island University. In 2012-2014 she taught writing for solo performance and solo performance at Sarah Lawrence College.[20][21] She was the 2017 visiting critic at Yale and at Columbia University, and has been an adjunct assistant professor at the Columbia University School of the Arts.[22] As of 2020, Sneed is an online lecturer in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago's low-residency Master of Fine Arts program.[23]

Sneed has mentored other writers, including a pairing with poet Tommy Pico in the 2011-2012 inaugural year of the Queer/Art/Mentors program founded by the filmmaker Ira Sachs.[24][25] She has subsequently mentored Heather Lynn Johnson (2016-2017) and Erica Cardwell in the 2020-2021 cycle.[26]

References[]

  1. ^ Donovan, Carrie (24 October 1993). "Chaos Theory". The New York Times. p. 184. Retrieved 23 May 2011. Pamela Sneed, a performance poet, tops a man's leather bomber jacket, hip-tied sweater, pants and work boots with an overgrown newsboy cap.
  2. ^ Rubin, Don; Solorzano, Carlo (2000-11-02). World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: The Americas. Taylor & Francis. pp. 435–. ISBN 978-0-415-22745-2. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
  3. ^ "2021 Winners". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  4. ^ Foundation, Poetry (2020-11-14). "Pamela Sneed". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  5. ^ "BGSQD: Book launch for Pamela Sneed's LINCOLN". The Lo-Down. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  6. ^ Giovanni, Nikki, ed. (2010). "Parable of the Sower". The 100 Best African American Poems. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks. pp. 82–83. ISBN 9781402221118. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  7. ^ Cullina, Alex (October 29, 2018). "The Poets Behind the First Queer POC Anthology". Washington Square News.
  8. ^ "Best Monologues from Best American Short Plays, Volume One, Best American Short Plays - Hal Leonard Online". www.halleonard.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  9. ^ "Publication Studio – Books – 253". www.publicationstudio.biz. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  10. ^ Poets, Academy of American. "About Pamela Sneed | Academy of American Poets". poets.org. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  11. ^ "Frederick Weston (1946–2020)". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  12. ^ Verdery, Mitsuko (May 5, 2020). "Artists Reach Out: Pamela Sneed". Gibney Dance.
  13. ^ Ajani, Ashia. "This Stunning Memoir Preserves the Forgotten Black Stories of the AIDS Crisis". them. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  14. ^ Sehgal, Parul (2020-11-18). "'Funeral Diva,' a Mix of Memoir and Poetry, Stirs the Body and Mind". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  15. ^ "Funeral Diva". Publishers Weekly. October 15, 2020. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  16. ^ "LGBTQ lit winners of The Lammys announced". Lesbian News. June 5, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  17. ^ Warnock, Kathleen (June 6, 2018). "A Family Fierce, Passionate, and Talented". Gay City News. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Dyke TV Records Finding Aid, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
  19. ^ "Poet Pamela Sneed imagines freedom". Lesbian News, June 1998.
  20. ^ "Course Catalogue 2012-2013" (PDF). Sarah Lawrence College. 2012. p. 116.
  21. ^ "Course Catalogue 2013-2014" (PDF). Sarah Lawrence College. 2013. p. 117.
  22. ^ "Pamela Sneed". Poetry Foundation.
  23. ^ "Pamela Sneed". School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
  24. ^ Street, Mikelle (February 14, 2018). "Native American and Gay, a Poet Fortifies His Voice". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "2011-2012 Fellows". QUEER/ART. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "| Mentorship". QUEER | ART. Retrieved 2020-11-15.

External links[]

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