Accomplished Poet and Author to Deliver SLCC’s 2023 Commencement Address

Tara M. Stringfellow to speak at commencement. Photo by Matthew F. Thomas.

Poet, former attorney and author Tara M. Stringfellow will give the keynote address at Salt Lake Community College’s 2023 Commencement Ceremony, scheduled for May 4 at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

“We are honored and delighted to have Tara share her journey with our new graduates, who undoubtedly will find wisdom and hope in her words,” said SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin. “As our graduates enter the next chapter of their lives, I’m sure her lived experiences will resonate.”

Stringfellow's journey as a writer began at an early age when she discovered a love for poetry and reading. “I was three when I heard my first full-length narrative poem that wasn't a nursery rhyme or a story,” she said. The poem was Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” and she knew in that moment she wanted to be a writer. Her father told her if she was to pursue her dream, she had to be three times better than Poe because she was Black and a woman. At age 10, Stringfellow published her first poem.

“To see my name in print at 10 years old, I said, ‘This is what I have to do for the rest of my life.’ And ever since, every decision I've ever made has been how can I be an American writer? How can I be better than Poe? How can I tell stories of my family to the world? And so that's where it all started,” she said.

Stringfellow attended Northwestern University (NU) and majored in English Literature and African American studies. She continued her education at the Chicago-Kent College of Law and embarked on a career as a lawyer. While she found being a lawyer rewarding, she never lost her passion for writing. Stringfellow returned to NU to obtain an MFA in poetry and fiction.

In 2008, Stringfellow published her first book, “More than Dancing,” a collection of poems that explores America's perspective on love, history and race relations. She has also written for many publications including Collective Unrest, Jet Fuel Review, WomensArts Quarterly Journal, among others.

Most recently, Stringfellow is author of the novel, “Memphis,” a story of a multi-generational southern Black family and a daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change their legacy. Inspired by her own family’s stories, “Memphis” was named one of the Best Books of 2022 by Amazon and has been longlisted for Aspen Words Literary Prize and Women’s Prize for Fiction.

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