Groundbreaking artist, poet, activist, radical nurse, mother, and “Serial Crafter” Asantewaa Boykin is a creative powerhouse. With exploration into topics such as “space-travel, black-femme militancy, and motherhood,” Asantewaa merges her poetry with art.⁠

In what Asantewaa calls “Afro-Creationism,” her art begs the question: “‘What if poems could be paintings and paintings could be poems?’” Asantewaa enjoys “connecting time, people, generations and political analysts through the lenses of unapologetic blackness.”⁠

Oakland has served as one of Asantewaa’s creative hubs, which is where she “learned to create at the intersection of Art and Liberation.” Asantewaa’s creative process always involves music, as it allows her to “intentionally listen to songs that create the energy” she wants to emphasize in her work.⁠

In addition to art and poetry, Asantewaa is a Co-founder of APTP (Anti Police-Terror Project) which is an organization aiming to enforce a “sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color.” In addition to this important work, Asantewaa utilizes “her knowledge of nursing and activism to provide Street Medic training for direct actions and community training on Trauma Centered First-Aid. Asantewaa is also a “founding member of the Capital City Black Nurses Association,” in which she helped develop ‘Mental Health First,’ “a mobile mental health crisis response team aimed at minimizing police contact with those who are in the midst of a mental health crisis.” ⁠

At the heart of Asantewaa’s work is community, which as she eloquently stated, “will always be grounded in the psychological, spiritual and physical libertion of my people.” ⁠

You can look forward to reading Asantewaa’s poetry in May 2022, where her full-length poetry will be published in Nomadic Press.⁠

Feature Published February 25, 2022
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