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Yolonda D. Coleman
Thinker, Teacher, Writer

Yolonda D. Coleman was born and reared in Washington, D.C. One of the original Posse Members on BET's Teen Summit from 1989 to 1994, Coleman has made appearances on CNN and News Channel 8. She finished in the top of her graduating classes at Benjamin Banneker H.S. in Washington, DC and Hampton University in Hampton, VA. Coleman has received numerous honors throughout her academic career, including a spotlight in the June 1994 issue of Ebony magazine.

Coleman was first published at the age of 15. Her poem Wake Up can be seen in VOICES FROM THE FUTURE: Children Speak Out About Violence In America. Her works have also been published in Train of Thought and Saracen literary magazines. Hampton University's WHOV-FM honored her with an opportunity to spotlight one of her poems in 1997. Coleman self-published a book of poems in 2001. Sugar Rush: Love's Liberation is Coleman's first novel .

In 2004, Coleman packed up her cozy life in Upper Marlboro, MD and moved to Florida when she received word that her mother had cancer. She sold everything from her house to her shower curtains and headed south. During her time in Central Florida, Coleman continued to teach as she did in D.C.

She then decided to take the advice of her students to step out of the classroom and complete her lifetime dream, commencing Nov. 19, 2004 as her day of liberation. Coleman's mother wanted nothing more than to see Sugar Rush: Love's Liberation published, but she died the day before Coleman's birthday. Coleman's resolve was even greater, and she proudly boasts that Sugar Rush: Love's Liberation was completed with her mother's spirit guiding her.

Yolonda's style of writing is inspired by literary legendaries, including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harper Lee, and Dr. Maya Angelou. Yolonda said she has learned to be quiet while writing to let the characters speak. She feels a special connection to both Zora and Langston because she is more than familiar with where they both lived and admires their writing styles.

“The way Zora was able to capture social concerns in the way people speak was captivating to me,” Yolonda said. “I tried it in Sugar Rush: Love's Liberation and enjoyed that style. That particular form of writing existed for a short period of time during the Harlem Renaissance, but then it faded. Langston's writing style incorporated observing people. He did that to produce Jesse B. Simple. I can relate to his style because I would sit up as late as 2 a.m. in the morning listening to the way male figures communicated in my community. Through those experiences, Gerald Washington in Sugar Rush: Love's Liberation developed into a man instead of Yolonda's character.”

Currently, Coleman is just waiting to see what adventures life will bring her way. In the meantime, she is committing her life to her passions: writing, and helping to serve as a mentor to other dreamers in the classroom and beyond.

"Southern Gurl" -
Performed by Yolonda D. Coleman, mix by Mike Spikes - Drums by F.C.A. Knights of the Sound Table

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