MFA alumna aspires to be the change

by Margaret Schell

F or as long Denechia "Neesha" Powell-Ingabire ('22) can remember, she wanted to write a book-one that would spark social change. As a movement journalist, essayist and community and cultural organizer, she writes about environmental, gender, racial and reproductive justice.

"I've had my eye on Georgia College & State University's MFA Creative Writing program for more than a decade," Powell-Ingabire said. "So, I enrolled."

The MFA Creative Writing program seemed ideal to Powell-Ingabire, as the program requires students to write a book-linked manuscript for their thesis. Her thesis evolved into her nonfiction book, "Come By Here: A Memoir in Essays from Georgia's Geechee Coast," published in September 2024.

"It's been exciting," she said. "I knew the program would provide dedicated time to write my book. Plus, I needed that structure and guidance the program provided."

Neesha Powell-Ingabire photographed during a recent visit to the GCSU campus. (Photo by Anna Gay Leavitt.)

There were two professors at Georgia College who made a lasting impact on Powell-Ingabire: Dr. Kerry Neville and Dr. Chika Unigwe.

When Powell-Ingabire began the program, she'd never taken a creative writing class; she was a journalist for over 10 years.

Both Neville and Unigwe were honest in critiquing her work, and Powell-Ingabire appreciated this.

"Dr. Unigwe taught me an essay needs balance between showing, telling and reflecting," she said. "I remember these necessary elements when I write now."

Powell-Ingabire remains passionate about reporting on the justice movements of the Black, queer and trans communities.

"Some reporters can't gain trust of the Black, trans, queer communities like one from their own communities," Powell-Ingabire said. "It's important for me to see this type of reporting in the world. It's not going to exist unless people like me pursue it."

Her work has been published in Oxford American, Harper's Bazaar, Scallywag, VICE Magazine, Prism Reports and more. She's also been featured on The Laura Flanders & Friends show on PBS and NPR-Atlanta.

Her story leads come from the news, social media and word of mouth. Then she researches whom she can talk to about different issues.

Powell-Ingabire grew up in coastal Georgia, pursued her undergraduate degree, then lived in Seattle, Washington, for nearly five years and returned to Georgia during her first year of grad school.

"I'd been home one year when the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick happened," she said. "That was a catalyst that got me thinking about where I'm from."

In Seattle, Powell-Ingabire developed an interest about Brunswick and started thinking about the chemical sites and how the air and water impact the Gullah Geechee residents.

"I started being drawn to home," she said. "It felt right to tell my own story through the lens of the community where I grew up. And I learned so many things about where I'm from that I never knew growing up."

Neesha visiting residents and scouting locations on Sapelo Island for her research. (Photo courtesy of Neesha Powell-Ingabire.)

Powell-Ingabire found writing her first book fulfilling, as it reflected how her life experiences helped shape who she is today. She also learned more about the Black history of coastal Georgia while connecting it to herself.

"There aren't many books available written by Black, queer and disabled people from coastal Georgia," Powell-Ingabire said. "Just knowing I'm able to put out this book for people who come after me feels good."

She hopes to educate others through her written works in Black history, especially the indigenous Gullah Geechee residents who live along Georgia's southeastern coast.

"Through writing, I hope to bring attention to their under-told stories," Powell-Ingabire said. "I'm trying to make them more widely known and instill a sense of self and pride in them."

"Writing about Black history, queer and trans issues can create change," Powell-she said. "I often write about people who are reclaiming ancestral practices or organizing around different queer and trans issues."

Powell-Ingabire knows the importance of educating individuals through her stories.

"These things impact me and the people I care about," she said. "Bringing attention to these different issues and putting these stories out is important to me. It's a form of activism."

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.