About Brenda
Brenda Ray is a Yale published writer, poet, and educator whose work centers on creative justice, self-empowerment, and the transformative power of love.
A Pushcart Prize nominee with an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from The New School, Brenda has been published by Brooklyn Magazine, Entropy, The Coil, Cirque Journal, among other publications. Her spoken word album, "The Blue Room," earned her an invitation to perform at Glastonbury Festival.
Through her writing and performances Brenda awakens audiences to their inner power while spreading messages of unity and radical empathy. Her upcoming memoir, Meet Me in the Bathroom, promises to blend her signature mix of humor, vulnerability, and social consciousness as she writes about growing up in cult-like church.
As both an academic and creative writing instructor, Brenda regularly leads workshops and gives live performances that combine poetry, music, and visual storytelling. Her work has been featured in SoFar Sounds New York, Poetry Out Loud, The Seattle Grand Slam, and many more places.
Born and raised in Boise, Idaho, Brenda now lives in San Francisco (Lower Haight) with her husband and two cats. She loves to eat candy and play guitar.