Programs

with María Fernanda

María Fernanda’s care and stewardship of this production was truly masterful.

— Executive Client at the Park Avenue Armory

Specializing as a independent producer for the performing arts with prize-winning collaborations, María Fernanda partners with museums, public libraries, national literary initiatives, bookstores, and more to support their cultural landscapes through dynamic programming.

Her producer credits include: Assistant Producer, Soundtrack of America (Quincy Jones, Maureen Mahon, Jon Batiste, Steve McQueen); Producer, Jacqueline and Jason’s Block Party! (Jacqueline Woodson), Production Asst., Misc (André 3000; Common; Black Thought); Producer, Salon: Captcha: Dancing, Data, Liberation (Rashaad Newsome, Saidiya V. Hartman, Tavia Nyong’o, Kiyan Williams, Aimee Meredith Cox, Ruha Benjamin); & more.

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The Nikki Giovanni tribute this Sunday blew me away. The people brought together—as featured guests and audience members—and the poems themselves...I am still riding on the joy of it all! We need spaces like that in these times, so thank you for doing such important cultural work.

— Attendee of María Fernanda’s honoring nikki series

Current

a poetry garden

Black literary artists and horticulturists discuss their creative and historic connections to the gardens in our communities.

June 7, 2025 — Present

April 16, 2024 — August 2024

the hour: open mic series

Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at Politics & Prose’s newest open mic series conceived and hosted by award-winning poet María Fernanda.

May 22, 2025 — Present

let’s write poetry saturdays

First Saturdays of each month, learn about and write new poetry forms of poetry. Award-winning poet María Fernanda facilitates historically-grounded poetry workshops.

February 1, 2025 — December 13, 2025

January 14, 2024 — December 7, 2024

programs for youth

Learn about literary opportunities for youth, programmed by María Fernanda in collaboration with performing arts centers and venues across major U.S. cities.

March 11, 2025 — December 11, 2026

July 30, 2024 — December 9, 2024

July 2023

Left to Right: María Fernanda, Nina Angela Mercer, Tricia Elam Walker, Holly Bass at María Fernanda This is Your Poem: A Nikki Giovanni Tribute at Politics & Prose.

Previous Programs

honoring nikki in the district of columbia

Join this series of workshops, lectures, and readings honoring Nikki Giovanni’s presence in Washington, D.C. This series features curated artists and open mic artists to widen the lens in which we remember.

January 4, 2025 — December 9, 2025

clear water series

Sharing literary and visual artifacts, Clear Water guests reflect on their creative practice and, by coincidence, growing up in a historically-recognized Black North American, Caribbean, or African city.

March 30, 2021 — May 11, 2021; Six episodes

August 19, 2020 — September 29, 2020; Six episodes

living in my skin conference

Founded by visual artist Yelaine Rodriguez, Living In My Skin is a platform in New York for visual artists to publicly discuss the ongoing discourse of race, gender, and colorism in The Dominican Republic and Haiti. María Fernanda was brought on to produce the living in my skin conference as well as an in-gallery poetry reading, both to further the dialogue prompted by the platform.