aja monet

aja monet is a Surrealist Blues Poet in the business of goosebumps and heart-gut-telling truths. She follows in the long legacy and tradition of poets organizing in social movements for change. Her collaborative spirit has seen her shape and shift culture alongside internationally renowned artists, scholars, activists, and organizers.

Her acclaimed collections, my mother was a freedom fighter (2017) and florida water (2025), were both nominated for NAACP Image Awards for Poetry. Her debut poetry album, when the poems do what they do, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2024. As a poet and bandleader, aja has performed on stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim, Newport Jazz Festival, Montréal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, and London’s Barbican Centre.

Her honors include the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award for Poetry (2019), the Nelson Mandela Changemaker Award (2024), the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award (2024), the EBONY 100 Artist in Residence Award, and the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Vanguard Award (2025). She also serves as the Artistic Creative Director of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, and created VOICES (2022), an audio play amplifying the stories of Black women across the African continent and diaspora.

In May 2026, aja released her second studio album, the color of rain, on drink sum wtr.

PRESS:
“The writer and community organizer offers up a fluid mix of jazz and poetry that evokes the spirit of 1990s spoken-word scenes.” - New York Times

“A unique kind of musical intimacy... Possesses a profound and forceful clarity." - Pitchfork

“Like the many jazz poets who came before her, monet’s poetry is an invitation to question the world around you, to explore the sacred space within, to drown in the depths of your emotions and resurface with gratitude.”- NPR

“Read, listen and study everything aja monet does”- Los Angeles Times

“[aja monet] is reviving the Black Arts Movement’s tradition of pairing poetry with live music – and drawing Gen Z off their phones and to her shows”
– Mother Jones