Ophelia Brown

Ophelia Brown is a poet, storyteller, and violinist whose work explores the sacred threads of memory, womanhood, and catharsis. Her voice is shaped by endurance, creative devotion, and a life lived between stillness and storm.

Born in the Midwest, shaped in Texas, and rooted for many years in Mississippi, Ophelia’s creative life has always been deeply tied to place. She began reading at an early age, sitting beside her mother as they flipped through her baby book—a lovingly preserved archive of stories, photos, and funny memories that helped her understand who she was. Her earliest favorites included Billy Goats Gruff and Mumble Bear, books that sparked her imagination and gave her language to dream.

In high school, she placed in Forensics for her performances of You Are Beautiful, Africa by Amani Abdullah and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an early sign of her passion for spoken word and poetic voice. Today, she continues to be deeply moved by The Creation by James Weldon Johnson, a lifelong favorite that echoes through her reverence for sound and spirit.

Writing since girlhood, she has published poetry, mentored fellow writers, and performed across genres—always moving at her own rhythm. She earned a degree in English from the College of Arts and Letters at The University of Southern Mississippi, followed by a Master’s in Library and Information Science from the same alma mater.

She also served with AmeriCorps as a Reading Tutor for America Reads Mississippi, contributing to the state’s movement toward greater literacy—an effort that remains close to her heart.

She is the founder of Ophelia Brown Publishing, a quiet vision brought to life through faith, care, and time. Her latest release, We Birth Us, is a novel in verse—an offering of spirit, voice, and sacred release.