Essayist.
Educator.
Storysharer.
Ashley Danielle is an educator, essayist, nonprofit writing consultant, and the founder and executive director of SISTORIES.
Born in Maryland, raised in Virginia, and made a woman in the Carolinas, her work is grounded in her southeastern roots, and uses story as a tool to shape change in her community.
She is a recipient of an ASC Founders Grant Award and has held artist residencies with The Roll Up CLT (2020), Cypress Fund, and QC Family Tree. She attended The University of North at Charlotte, receiving a B.A. English, M.A. Liberal Studies, and G.C. in Gender, Sexuality, + Women's Studies.
SISTORIES
2019 – Current
SISTORIES is a free Black Feminist literary magazine and community writing workshop founded to nurture the creative and holistic spirits of southern Black women and femmes. We focus on developing, sharing, and studying our stories in order to transform the conditions and impact of oppressive systems on our bodies, communities, and spirits. Since our launch, we’ve released three issues featuring 40+ contributors, and hosted numerous workshops, including those offered in partnership with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and other local organizations. Our debut issue was nationally recognized by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses as Best Debut Literary Magazine, 2022.
Nonprofit Writing + Development Consultant
2019 - Current
I’ve worked with Black women and girl-serving organizations including, Girls for Gender Equity, SBG Digital, and the SBG Book Club, on a range of writing projects, including grant writing, copywriting, and donor outreach, raising well over a quarter million dollars in grant funding and individual donations. Additionally, I assist organizations in developing and maintaining systems for fundraising infrastructure, including donor databases and campaign management.
Essayist
2018-Current
I write on topics including southern Black femmehood, sexuality, spirituality, and healing justice. My work seeks to continue a tradition of Black feminist storysharing that uncovers, recovers, and (re)creates models of possibility across time and space. Read more at Black Femme Collective, RaceBaitr, Sistories, and Under My Skin.