Such litany of survival did not begin with me & Benediction, after April 4<sup>th</sup>

Carmin Wong is Guyanese-born playwright, poet-organizer, and dual-title doctoral student in English & Lit•orature and African American and Diaspora Studies at Pennsylvania State University. She is a proud graduate of Howard University and holds an MFA in poetry writing from the University of New Orleans. Carmin is the 2024-2025 Shirley Graham Du Bois Creative-in-Residence with Castle of Our Skins and the 2025 Teaching Artist with Girls Write Now NYC. As a performer, Carmin has brought her poetry to renowned stages, including Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theater, and The Nuyorican Poets Café. Her plays have been staged at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and across the national regional theater circuit.