Biography
Barbara Fant (she/her) is the author of three poetry collections: Paint, Inside Out; Mouths of Garden; and, most recently, Joy in the Belly of a Riot. A Women of the World Poetry Slam finalist, her poetry has been featured in Electric Literature, McNeese Review, Button Poetry, HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, and elsewhere. She is a certified Healing-Centered Engagement specialist.
She holds a BA in literature, an MA of theology, and an MFA in poetry. She has earned residencies across the United States and internationally in Cuba and West Africa. She is a member of the Recording Academy’s 2025 New Member Class and a 2025–2026 Poetry Coalition Fellow through the Academy of American Poets. She is the recipient of the Cora Craig Award for Young Authors and has been commissioned by more than twenty organizations.
For more than fifteen years, she has led healing-informed poetry workshops for youth and adults who are behind bars, adults in recovery, and survivors of domestic violence. She is the founder of Bloom Life Foundation, dedicated to sharing the healing power of the arts. A native of Ohio, she currently resides in California.
