Sistah Joy Alford

About the Artist

J. Joy “Sistah Joy” Matthews Alford was appointed as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Maryland in September 2018 to serve a 3-year term supporting and promoting poetry as well as cultural and literary arts in Prince George’s County.  She is an author, arts advocate, and produces and has hosted the award-winning poetry-based cable television show, Sojourn with Words since its inception in 2005. Sistah Joy received the Poet Laureate Special Award (2002) for “her outstanding contributions to the art of poetry” in her native Washington, DC.  She is an alum of the late Washington, DC Poet Laureate, Dolores Kendrick’s “Poets in Progress” series and also an alum of the Mariposa Writers Retreat. In 1995 she founded the socially-conscious poetry ensemble, Collective Voices, which has performed nationally and internationally (London, England) and continues to perform in the U.S. primarily along the East coast. Sistah Joy is the author of three books, Lord I’m Dancin’ As Fast As I Can (2000); From Pain to Empowerment - The Fabric of My Being (2009); and This Garden Called Life (2011). Her work appears in several anthologies, most recently in response to the coronavirus pandemic, “Singing In The Dark – A Global Anthology of Poetry Under Lockdown.” (2021). Sistah Joy served as Poetry Editor during the 5 year run of the nationally distributed quarterly publication, ACE Dialogue, which was designed to be a resource on African American art, literature, film, and other cultural issues.  Sistah Joy is a Lifetime Member of PGAAMCC (Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center).  Visit her website https://www.sistahjoy.com for more information and to view samples of her poetry.  Contact Sistah Joy at Poetsistahjoy@aol.com.

Artist's Statement

I am available to present my poetry with musical accompaniment, most often by Djembe drumming or Jazz musicians, when appropriate.