Artist Roster

JoAnn Balingit is a poet, essayist and educator; mother, grandparent and experienced traveler. She served as Delaware’s poet laureate from 2008 to 2015, and is a current Fulbright U.S. Scholar whose 2024 fellowship will take her to The Philippines to explore family history and do research for her memoir-in-progress.

Dr. Balingit offers writing workshops, readings and talks in which she focuses on the importance of sharing personal stories and family history. She believes in amplifying marginalized voices and providing participants a fun, safe space to write about--and talk about--what matters most to them.

Recent virtual presentations include workshops that focused on Eco-Poetry and Visual Poetry.

As a teaching artist for Poetry Out Loud, she encourages high school teachers and students to engage with the sound, meanings and emotional power of poetry in performance.

JoAnn has published three books including her full-length collection of poems, Words for House Story (WordTech, 2013). You can read poems from that book here. 

Her poems and essays are recently featured in About Place Journal, The Common, The Rumpus, Vallum Magazine, the anthology Ink Knows No Borders and Poetry.

Dr. Balingit holds a Masters degree in English from the University of California, Irvine; an Masters in Library & Information Science from Indiana University; and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Delaware where she taught composition and poetry writing. She worked for many years as a library media specialist and teacher trainer in Delaware and Pennsylvania public schools.

A Delaware Division of the Arts 2022 Fellow in creative nonfiction, JoAnn has received support for her work in poetry and essay also from Bread Loaf Writers, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, VONA, Hedgebrook and Kundiman's nonfiction workshop.

An experienced speaker, she’s presented at festivals such as Salisbury (MD) Poetry Week, Sunday Salon NYC; Indianapolis Spirit & Place Festival, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, The New Hampshire Writers Project, Sweet Briar College’s VCCA Salon and for many organizations in Delaware such as The Delaware Contemporary, The Delaware Art Museum, Lewes Library, and Wilmington Rotary Club.

She looks forward to engaging with you and your groups in the realms of story, imagination, language and memory!

Dr. JoAnn Balingit introduced her 8-week writing course, Life Lines: A Writing Journey during the Delaware Humanities Creative Aging program's spring 2023 season in New Castle County. Participants at Woodlawn Library and Brandywine Hundred Library in Wilmington shared stories and enthusiastic requests for a repeat offering of this creative writing course, designed for all levels of experience. 

The focus of Life Lines is on writing stories and sharing stories, beginning with a deep dive into memory to think about the events that shape us and haunt us.  The setting is fun, friendly and encouraging.

Students read sample stories and poems together each week, and write together in community. Classes are 90 minutes to two hours per session.