Meet Rowana
Founder, Author & Speaker
Photo credit: Khidar Rich
Rowana Abbensetts-Dobson (she/her) is a Guyanese American writer from Brooklyn, NY. With over 10 years of experience in publishing and non-profit marketing and communications, Rowana has worked with organizations such as Callaloo Literary Journal, Poets & Writers Magazine, and Teachers & Writers Magazine to foster a new generation of diverse readers and writers.
Rowana is the author of Departure Story: a novel, published in 2021. She is also the editor in chief of Spoken Black Girl Magazine, which is focuses on Black women’s wellness and mental health.
Rowana has had fiction and poetry published in Moko Magazine, Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora, Culture Push, When We Exhale: Anthology of Black Women Rooted in Ancestral Medicine, Free Verse Magazine, and The Fire Inside Volume III Anthology. As a freelance health and wellness writer, Rowana has written for Insider, GoodRx, Well +Good, Bold Culture by Streamline Media, The Tempest, and Electric Lit.
As a speaker, Rowana has delivered speeches at the Black Women Writers Virtual Summit and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, NYU and Kenyon College.
Spoken Black Girl was nominated for best business commercial at the Queens International Underground Film Festival and was selected as the winner of a $10,000 small business grant from the Local Initiatives Support Cooperation and Verizon.
Rowana is currently completing her MFA in Writing at Arcadia University so she can bring more amazing stories into the world.
I’m available for brand collaborations and speaking engagements. Let’s connect!
Workshops, Events & Panels
Writing Workshops Inspired by Black Women Writers
I share my love of Black women writers everywhere I go! Allow me to craft a workshop inspired by Black women writers, both past and present. These workshops include selected reading, writing sprints, and sharing our work. I’m available for in person workshops in NYC and virtual workshops anywhere around the world.
Mental Health Awareness
As a mental health advocate, I’m passionate about educating the public and spreading mental health awareness. In my workshops, I separate myth and stigma from fact, address the ways mental health affects the population and help participants learn about how to cultivate better mental health for themselves as well as friends and family in everyday life.
Event Curation
Interested in collaborating with Spoken Black Girl for an event or panel? Reach out: contact@spokenblackgirl.com
Healing Through Writing
The Healing Through Writing Workshop focuses on creating a safe space for a cathartic, personal writing experience. The workshop incorporates meditation, discussion, and analysis of literary works. Participants are encouraged (although not required) to share their stories of healing and growth for a transformative workshop experience.