About
Triston Dabney is a poet, educator, and cultural worker whose writing explores the intersections of Blackness, queerness, masculinity, spirituality, and the sacredness of everyday life. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Dabney's work draws deeply from Black familial memory, communal ritual, and personal testimony.
Their debut poetry collection, Moments as They Are (Fernwood Press, 2026), is a lyrical meditation on becoming—chronicling the journey from childhood to blessing with tenderness, clarity, and profound emotional resonance. Dabney's poems have been featured in Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora, Breakbread Magazine, Invisible City, Spoken Black Girl, and more.
A recipient of multiple honors for their contributions to contemporary poetry, Dabney writes with an eye toward honoring ancestral legacy while envisioning liberated futures. Their work has been described as "a homecoming for the queer Black boy" and "a blessing stitched from small mercies."
When they are not writing, Dabney is devoted to community engagement, public service, and nurturing spaces of joy, healing, and reflection. They believe in the transformative power of tenderness.