Theopoet and mystic de'Angelo DIA examines culture and moral imagination through poetry, performance art, and photography. His work is grounded in the aesthetic of neo-Appalachian art, the charismatic nature of the Black church, mythology, and a multitude of theologies that inspire mysticism.
DIA holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Communication and Sociology with a minor in Photography from Appalachian State University, a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: Literature from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from Union Presbyterian Seminary.
DIA’s poetry collections include bifurcation (Union Presbyterian Seminary, 2022) and sacred|spaces (Theurgical Studies Press, 2024). His forthcoming manuscript, Cocktails with Jesus, examines desire, grief, and radical tenderness through elegiac and experimental poetry. DIA's poems have appeared in BLACK BOY Journal, The Skinny Journal, Artists Writing on Liberation, and Cru Arts & Culture.
He is the recipient of awards and fellowships from Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, the Hurston/Wright Foundation, the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, and The Harvey. B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. DIA is the Community Relations Manager of Goodyear Arts based in Charlotte, NC.