BIO

Cheryl B.

Cheryl B. is an award-winning writer, poet and performer.  Her work appears in dozens of print and online publications, including; Ping Pong, Word Warriors: 35 Women Leaders in the Spoken Word Revolution (Seal Press, 2007), The Guardian, BLOOM, Suspect Thoughts, Reactions 5: New Poetry (Pen & Inc, 2005), Pills, Thrills, Chills and Heartache: Adventures in the First Person (Alyson Books) and Small Spiral Notebook, among many others.

She has written articles, book reviews and artist profiles for GO Magazine, Lambda Book Report, AfterEllen.com, Scene360.com, BUST, UntilMonday:BKLN and Velvetpark. Her awards include a 2003 Poetry Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts, a residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and an honorable mention in Poetry from the Astraea Writers Fund Awards in 2009.

Known for intense, humorous narratives, presented with the skill of an observational comedian, Cheryl began her performance career winning poetry slams at the famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe while still a college student.  She has since become an internationally acclaimed spoken word performer, appearing at most major New York City literary evenings and touring throughout the U.S, Canada and the U.K.  She has performed at such venues as Apples & Snakes, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Paris.  She has been featured in Velvetpark, The High Plains Reader, Gothamist.com, and RainbowNetwork.com, among other publications and websites.

Cheryl is the co-founder/co-host of the popular New York City monthly reading series, Sideshow: The Queer Literary Carnival, “serious literature for ridiculous times.”  She was the creator and producer of PVC: The Poetry vs. Comedy Variety Show, a live slam/competition between stand-up comedians and performance poets that ran for over two years.  She also created and curated the multi-genre Brooklyn reading series, Atomic, in addition to organizing various other literary events throughout the years.

Cheryl holds a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a MFA in Nonfiction Writing from The New School. She lives in Brooklyn and teaches memoir writing at Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York City. She is proud to be sober for over nine years. Her website is cherylb.com.