Some voices don’t wait for the future to arrive. They speak from it.

In I Know Who I Am: Voices in the Now-Future, three powerhouse poets bring language that moves with clarity, conviction, and fire. Their work lives in the present tense where identity is claimed, history is confronted, and the future is already pressing through the lines.

Mahogany L. Browne brings fearless lyric intelligence to the page and stage, weaving justice, imagination, and cultural memory into poems that challenge and uplift. Tramaine Suubi delivers performance alive with presence, drawing audiences into stories shaped by movement and music. devorah major (poet, activist, former San Francisco Poet Laureate, and Berkeley Poetry Festival Lifetime Achievement Awardee for 2026) offers work grounded in history, community, and the enduring power of Black literary traditions.

Together, these writers remind us that the future is created voice by voice, poem by poem.