Greetings from Arlo,

My name is Arlo Arctia! I am a nonbinary poet, writer, teacher, and Creative Writing MFA student at Rutgers University. I got my start as an artist at Howard University, where I both received my B.A in English and became an editor for the university’s literary journal, Sterling Notes.

I have had my poetry published in seven journals including: Chaotic Merge, The Poetry Lighthouse, boats against the currents, Roi Fainéant Literary Press etc. My poem “Solomon.” was also shortlisted for The Poetry Lighthouse’s Summer ‘26 Prize.

Currently, I am working freelance with Dodge Poetry as a teaching artist for high school creatives. There it is my job to co-host workshops conducive for artistic expression. I have taught classes using tactics such as somatic exercise, body graphs, imagery, and musical analysis. When I am not teaching with Dodge Poetry, I am teaching Intro to Creative Writing at Rutgers University as a TA. For my course, I teach 25 undergraduate students the techniques, history, and creative sourcing for nonfiction, poetry, and fiction.

Creations by Arlo

Radical Acceptance of Grief

As an artist, my work follows grief, loneliness, disembodiment, sexual trauma, sensuality, identity, escapism, and chronic pain. I would describe my lens as vulnerable and reflective. It is a radical acceptance and transmutation of trauma. My goal is to challenge readers to face and integrate their shadows; I am challenging society to find home in darkness and give it a space to breathe.

I wouldn’t categorize my work as self-help but as self-depth. My approach to healing is searching for the varying levels of grief and where they strike in the body. Find knowledge in the body’s sadness by freeing what is haunting not just by acknowledging its presence. 

I am especially focused on working with initiatives for Black, queer, and neurodivergent communities. In the Black community, mental health conversations are still taboo. Generational trauma has made it customary for us to bypass our emotions, but it is important that we confront our pain. We have much to release. Furthermore, as a survivor of sexual assault, I am hoping to assist other victims re-inhabit their bodies.

Projects by Arlo

A Taste of Melancholy is my business, primarily homed on Substack. There I share my poetry, prose, lyrical essays, journals, and podcast - Downloads w/ Arlo. I have recently began writing my first collection of poetry, and I am in the process of learning screenwriting/playwriting.