Our Team

Celebrating art, poetry, stories, and voices from the African Diaspora.

At African Voices, we are a dedicated team committed to amplifying the voices of the African Diaspora through storytelling, art, film, and literature. Our writers, editors, and artists work to ensure that African Diasporic perspectives are represented with depth, authenticity, and impact.

Carolyn A. Butts

Publisher/Founder

Carolyn A. Butts is the publisher/founder of African Voices, a leading arts magazine devoted to publishing fine art and literature by artists of color. Spelman College will house African Voices’…

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Denile Doyle

Managing Editor

Denile Doyle is the managing editor for African Voices. She loves a good story and is passionate about amplifying diverse voices. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a…

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Derick Cross

Art Director

Derick Cross (aka D. Cross) is a multi dimensional visual and performance artist who creates imagery in order to reach deep inside the viewer of his artwork. He is the…

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Aziza

Assistant Art Director

Aziza is a visual artist, fine art printmaker, and illustrator. She is the Assistant Art Director of African Voices Magazine and AfricanVoices.com. Aziza is also currently a Staff Illustrator, a…

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Lora René Tucker

Poetry Editor

Lora René Tucker, Brooklyn born and educated, is a poet, activist, and essayist. Her “nine to fives” were a corporate interior designer, credentialed alcohol and drug counsellor, and licensed social…

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Cara McSongwe

Fiction Editor

Cara McSongwe has spent the better part of her whole life trying to distill and translate a fragment of the human condition into the written word. Her passion for storytelling…

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Debbie A. Officer

Book Review Editor

Debbie A. Officer is a Brooklyn-based writer and educator. She has worked as a freelance journalist for The New York Amsterdam News, The New York Village Voice, Sage Woman Magazine,…

Keisha-Gaye Anderson

Contributing Editor

Keisha-Gaye Anderson is a Jamaican-born poet, creative writer, visual artist, educator and media strategist living in Brooklyn, NY. She is a Contributing Editor to African Voices. She is the author…

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Emely-Ann Rodriguez

Digital Editor

Emely-Ann Rodriguez is the editor for our website and served as African Voices magazine’s fiction editor for the past five years.

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Makeba Hall Wilson

Program Associate

Makeba Hall Wilson is the Program Associate at African Voices and a graduate of SUNY New Paltz’s Black Studies program. A teaching artist with the SU-CASA Creative Aging program, she…

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For more information on African Voices call 212-865-2982 or send us a message using our contact form.

African Voices is supported, in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts – American Rescue Plan, New York States Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, West Harlem Development Corporation, New York Community Trust, Roy Wilkins Found in New York Community Trust, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, Council of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), Amazon Literary Partnerships – CLMP, The Tom Detwiler Foundation and NYC Council members Farah Louis and Crystal Hudson

African Voices has received an overwhelmingly positive response from the community for its dedication to celebrating diverse artistic expressions. Readers and artists alike commend the magazine for providing a platform that highlights underrepresented voices in literature, visual arts, and film. Many appreciate the inclusive nature and quality of the content, which fosters a sense of connection and pride within the community
https://www.clmp.org/readers/publisher/african-voices-communications-2/