PROFILE

Chinaka Hodge is a poet, educator, playwright and screenwriter. Originally from Oakland, she graduated from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study in May of 2006, and was honored to be the student speaker at the 174th Commencement exercise. For over a decade, Hodge has worked in various capacities at Youth Speaks/The Living Word Project, the nation’s leading literary arts non-profit. During her tenure there, Chinaka served as program director and associate artistic director, and worked directly with Youth Speaks’ core population as a teaching artist and poet mentor.