KaNikki Jakarta

Read poems by this poet

KaNikki Jakarta is a performance poet. Born in Mobile, Alabama, she earned a BA in public relations / marketing.



Jakarta is the author of three novels, two poetry collections, and a memoir, including Alabama Girl, Virginia Woman (Great Publishing Company, LLC, 2021), and the coauthor of The Ultimate Guide to Self Healing Volume II (Brave Healer Productions, 2020). 

Jakarta is the inaugural poet in residence for Northern Virginia Fine Arts Association. She hosts #KaNikkiHarmony and facilitates several workshops in Alexandria, Virginia. She is also the cofounder of Keep the Mic On, an online, womyn-led artistic experience, and the first African American poet laureate of Alexandria, Virginia. In 2022, Jakarta received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship.