Teachers & Writers Collaborative

Grisel Acosta

Grisel Acosta is a multi-cultural writer originally from Chicago. She has a BA in journalism and a masters degree in English education. Her writing, which ranges from poetry to plays to songs to news and feature articles, has been published and presented throughout the United States. Original poetry that she might share in a typical workshop includes titles like Historia (women’s history), Cubanita, and House of Walls. Local venues and schools that have featured her performances include La MaMa, The Women’s Project, The Bowery Poetry Club, The Nuyorican Poets Café, SUNY Purchase, and The University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Grisel’s most recent projects have included writing and producing The Room, her play about class and race issues among women; directing The Teacher’s Lounge for the Songs From Coconut Hill Playwrights Festival; and creating a panel discussion on the black Latino experience (this is part of her forthcoming creative nonfiction book on the same topic). Her creative works also include sculpture and award-winning drawing and painting. She teaches students ranging in age from eight to eighty in age, and she conducts her classes in public schools, colleges, and universities. Her greatest influences are her Cuban and Colombian background, her urban US upbringing, and her love for punk music. She is available for poetry, storytelling, playwriting, and art workshops.