About Aziza Barnes
Aziza Barnes, 32, American poet and playwright, suicide.
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Full Biography
|Aziza Danielle Bailey Barnes (October 8, 1992 – December 15, 2024) was an American poet, screenwriter and playwright. Barnes frequently performed slam poetry and performed at the Da Poetry Lounge, Urban Word NYC, PBS News Hour and Nuyoricans Poets Café. They wrote for television shows, including Snowfall and Teenage Bounty Hunters.
Early life and education
Barnes was born in Los Angeles in October 1992 to Craig Barnes and Marchelle Bailey. Aziza had a younger sister and an older brother. They went to undergrad at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. They received their MFA from the University of Mississippi.
Career
A performer, Barnes was a member of the Divine Fabrics Collective, alongside fellow writers Safia Elhillo, Camonghne Felix, and Sean "Mega" DesVignes. Barnes was the author of the chapbook me Aunt Jemima and the nailgun (2013), which became the first book to ever win a prize from Button Poetry. Their full-length collection, i be but i ain’t (2016), won a Pamet River Prize from YesYes Books. They were the co-founder of the Poetry Gods podcast and the co-founder of The Conversation Literary Festival. Barnes wrote the play BLKS, which was played at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. Their debut novel, The Blind Pig, was published by Not A Cult on October 14, 2019. Barnes wrote the play Pues Nada (2020). Barnes also wrote for MEL.
BLKS
BLKS is the story of four black millennial friends, Octavia, June, Ry and Imani, who share a New York City apartment. The story is a "day in the life" style of work and was called "comedic social realism". The production was compared to the drama series Girls. BLKS was originally Barnes' final thesis project at NYU.
Actresses Nora Carroll, Leea Ayers, Danielle Davis and Celeste M. Cooper performed in the Steppenwolf Theatre Company rendition of BLKS. The show was directed by Nataki Garrett. The show debuted on December 18, 2017, and ran through January 28, 2018.
BLKS won the 2020 Antonyo Award in the Best Play category. Barnes was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for the play that same year.
Barnes made their acting debut in June 2024 with their play FKA I Am a Bad Blk Person, which is a sequel to BLKS.
Television
Barnes wrote for the series Snowfall, Teenage Bounty Hunters, Rap Sh!t, and the Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. At the time of their death, Barnes was working on an HBO adaptation of the novel The Vanishing Half.
Personal life and death
Barnes was black and identified as queer. They were from Los Angeles and lived in Oxford, Mississippi. They also lived in Bedford–Stuyvesant. Barnes used they/them pronouns.
Barnes died by suicide on December 15, 2024, at the age of 32.
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Articles & News
- variety.com"Aziza Barnes, Writer for 'Snowfall' and 'Teenage Bounty Hunter,' Dies at 32"
- theatlantic.com"How Poetry Came to Matter Again"
- hollywoodreporter.com"Aziza Barnes, 'A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' and 'Snowfall' Writer, Dies at 32"
- deadline.com"Aziza Barnes Dies: 'Snowfall' & 'A Knight of Seven Kingdoms' Writer Was 32"
Reported coverage of Aziza Barnes; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Aziza Barnes on Amazon.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aziza_Barnes
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 8 questions
Questions drawn from Aziza Barnes's archived record and the sources above.
1.On which day of the month did Aziza Barnes die?
- A.16
- B.17
- C.14
- D.15correct
Aziza Barnes died on day 15 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "Aziza Barnes at TV Guide Aziza Barnes at BroadwayWorld Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1992. Archive record: age at death 32
2.Where was Aziza Barnes born?
- A.Turin
- B.Los Angeles in Octobercorrect
- C.Marseille
- D.Kraków
Aziza Barnes was born in Los Angeles in October.
Source: Biography: place of birth: "loo Fellow == References == == External links == Aziza Barnes at IMDb Aziza Barnes at Rotten Tomatoes Aziza Barnes on ElCinema.com Aziza Barnes at TV Guide Aziza
3.In which field was Aziza Barnes known?
- A.architect
- B.chemist
- C.poet and playwrightcorrect
- D.novelist
The biography describes Aziza Barnes as a poet and playwright.
Source: Profile: occupation: "== Aziza Barnes at IMDb Aziza Barnes at Rotten Tomatoes Aziza Barnes on ElCinema.com Aziza Barnes at TV Guide Aziza Barnes at BroadwayWorld Archive record: year of deat
4.What nationality was Aziza Barnes?
- A.Argentine
- B.Americancorrect
- C.Australian
- D.Austrian
Aziza Barnes is recorded as American.
Source: Profile: nationality: "Tomatoes Aziza Barnes on ElCinema.com Aziza Barnes at TV Guide Aziza Barnes at BroadwayWorld Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1992. Ar
5.In which year did Aziza Barnes die?
- A.2012
- B.2011
- C.2024correct
- D.2009
Aziza Barnes died in 2024.
Source: Profile: year of death: "s at TV Guide Aziza Barnes at BroadwayWorld Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1992. Archive record: age at death 32. Archive record:
6.How old was Aziza Barnes when they died?
- A.32correct
- B.38
- C.27
- D.44
Aziza Barnes was 32 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "ave Canem Foundation Fellow Callaloo Fellow == References == == External links == Aziza Barnes at IMDb Aziza Barnes at Rotten Tomatoes Aziza Barnes on ElCinema.com Az
7.In which year was Aziza Barnes born?
- A.1980
- B.1983
- C.1986
- D.1992correct
Aziza Barnes was born in 1992.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "Poets Fellowship at Poets House Cave Canem Foundation Fellow Callaloo Fellow == References == == External links == Aziza Barnes at IMDb Aziza Barnes at Rotten Tomato
8.In which month did Aziza Barnes die?
- A.January
- B.March
- C.Decembercorrect
- D.February
Aziza Barnes died in December.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "iza Barnes at TV Guide Aziza Barnes at BroadwayWorld Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1992. Archive record: age at death 32.
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