Tracie Morris

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Tracie Morris is an American poet, page-based writer, multi-media performer, and sound artist. Known for her sound poetry, Morris extensively explores subjects of abuse, power, and the body through repetitions and accumulative alterations, dissolving words’ literal meanings into sound and fusing her performance with music to create a dynamic and improvisational narrative. Her poetry collections included handholding: 5 kinds (2016), Rhyme Scheme (2012), and Intermission (1998). Currently a Professor and Coordinator of Performance and the Performance Studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Morris is also a singer of her eponymous band in addition to performing and collaborating with composer/musician Elliott Sharp’s band, Terraplane. Morris’ sound installations have been presented at the Whitney Biennial, MoMA, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ronald Feldman Gallery, The Silent Barn, the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, and the Drawing Center amongst art institutions. In December 1999, the interdisciplinary poet first appeared at The Kitchen with her three-night-engagement performance “Sonic Synthesis.”