Barbie Angell is a poet, actor, playwright, emcee, satirist and artist in Asheville, North Carolina. Born near Chicago, Barbie grew up on a farm in Yorkville, Illinois. After her parents divorced, she was placed in a home for children, Mooseheart, in Aurora, Illinois. Known as “The Child City,” Mooseheart is sponsored by the Loyal Order of Moose.

After graduating with high honors and a writing award at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, she transferred to Illinois State University where she studied creative writing under David Foster Wallace, who chose the students who would be allowed to take the class.

In 1997, she began  performing publicly in Bloomington, Illinois, where she also launched and hosted “The Open Mic That Wouldn’t Die." That same year, her words took her to a poetry competition in Washington, DC, where she placed 12th out of 1400 poets from around the world.

Barbie has performed in coffee houses, bars, ice cream shops and outdoor venues. Her goal has always been to reach people who think they don't like poetry, and convince them that they do. In addition to live performances, Barbie has self-published three volumes of poetry.

Barbie is a writer who rhymes, and her affinity for rhyme is not surprising, given that she grew up devouring the works of Shel Silverstein and Lewis Carroll. As a child who struggled with frequent illness and severe asthma, she spent quite a bit of her childhood alone. As is often the case with writers, her love of words is derived from the fact that books were her closest friends.

Since moving to Asheville, NC in 1999, Barbie has performed her poetry in venues ranging from coffeehouses and ice cream shops to bars and bookstores. Named a Mountain Xpress Best of WNC Poet 8 years in a row, she is also well known in the online community and was named a Best of WNC Social Media Personality in the 2013 readers’ poll.

She also cultivated her talent as an emcee and has performed at many high-profile events in the Asheville area, including Planned Parenthood’s Condom Couture, LAAFF, X-pand Festival, and many benefit concerts.

Her first book of children’s poetry and illustrations, Roasting Questions, was published by Grateful Steps Publishing House in Asheville in 2013. It was endorsed by singer/songwriter/author/music legend, Rosanne Cash, as well as by some bald singer/songwriter from Black Mountain.

Her current projects include her autobiographical play, Death by Sparkle: Or What Happens When You Drink Window Cleaner, and a reimagining of a Grimm’s fairytale for a collaborative show with an all-female production staff, coming to Asheville in 2021.

Sustaining Our Spirits #19 - Barbie Angell