Saleem Hue Penny

Saleem Hue Penny is a Black 'rural hip-hop blues' poet with a vestibular disorder and single-sided deafness. A proud Cave Canem Fellow, Saleem’s writing explores how young people of color traverse wild spaces and define freedom on their own terms. He often punctuates his poetry with a drum machine, gouache, and birch bark. Recent credits include winner of the Bellevue Literary Review (2021) Marica and Jan Vilcek Prize for Poetry, runner-up for the Breakwater Review (2021) Peseroff Poetry Prize, and finalist for the Ruminate Magazine (2021) Janet B. McCabe Poetry Prize. Nourished by the Southside of Chicago, Saleem’s spirit stretches across Pisgah Forest, forever rooted in Monck’s Corner swamps.