About Bummi Anderson - Bummi Niyonu Anderson

Poet. Writer. English Professor. Preacher/Teacher. Podcaster. Content Creator. Sports lover. Lakers Fanatic. Lover of God. Lover of Black people.

I write poetry to make sense of my life and the world. I write poetry to heal myself and others. I write poetry to provoke others to think about the things that sometimes occupy my mind.

My parents were Civil Rights Movement workers, my father more so than my mother. In my own way, I follow in their footsteps and use my pen to celebrate the greatness of Black people and to confront racism, sexism, homophobia, and injustice. While my pen can often be a raised fist, in other instances, my pen can be a caressing hand.

When I write poetry, I write in the spirit of those I admire: Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, and Maya Angelou. These literary artists comforted me when I was a stuttering child. Reciting their poems in front of a mirror helped me free myself from my tongue. I took my own words to paper, and they helped me take flight. My own words, healing, indicting, fighting and loving, mark my presence.

Bummi Niyonu Anderson is a poet, writer, and author. She has written six books, including I Like it When: A Collection of Love Poems, You are a Masterpiece: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You, and Gumbo Soul: Book of Poetry, and Moods: Haiku and Other Poems

She co-founded Renaissance Connection, Inc. with her twin sister, Femi. Renaissance Connection is committed to educating others on the connection between art and life by sponsoring other artists/authors, art exhibitions, and teaching on fine art and writing. Femi passed away in March of 2020.

After Femi’s death, Bummi started doing Community Conversations, a video podcast, centered around COVID 19’s impact on the Albany, GA community in 2022. Her show included guests, such as doctors, pastors, and therapists. Out of CC’s success, Bummi launched Intersection in late 2022. Intersection‘s podcast can be seen on Facebook and YouTube and can be heard on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and iHeart Podcasts.

For almost 40 years, Bummi has shared her poetry on college campuses, at churches, at cultural centers, and in poetry magazines and anthologies. An avid sports fan and a LA Lakers fanatic, Bummi has written for Laker Nation and Late Night Lake Show.

Bummi has a Master of Arts (MA) degree in English & Creative Writing. A graduate of Albany State University, she is an assistant professor of English at her alma mater.

She resides in Albany, Georgia.