About
Mary Tonita Austin, known as Tonita, is a talented poet and writer who was born and raised in West Philadelphia. Tonita studied writing and playwriting under Amiri Baraka at Columbia University and regularly contributed to Columbia’s Black Heights Literary Magazine. Her essay, entitled "The Joy in the Journey," about her mother, was published in The Black Body (Seven Stories Press) in 2009. Her poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies, including several issues of Philadelphia Art and Urban Literary Review (P.A.U.L.).Tonita, whose stage name is Toni Love, self-published her poetry CD "The Restoration" in 2015 and her poetry book, Toni’s Room: A Poetic Journey to Restoration (Toni Love Publishing), in 2019, selling nearly 400 copies. Tonita is a fierce youth advocate and community organizer currently living in Media, PA, with her greatest creations, her children James and Janai.
Featured Work
Toni's Room; a poetic journey to restoration
Toni's Room is a poetic journey into the most sacred and sensitive parts of me as a black woman, a female activist, writer, lover and mother. Some poems are 20 years old, some were written this year but all of them provide a look into this black woman's journey from innocence to restoration through ecstasy, heartache, grief, loss, activism and self-love. I felt that there is a need especially during these emotionally charged experiences that artists are the vehicle to healing. I seek to honor myself, my ancestors and open the possibility of healing through art by sharing my poetry in Toni's Room. I hope you find comfort in this space, stay as long as you'd like and invite your friends!
