Cleo Wade

Cleo Wade is a widely popular American artist, poet, activist, and author of Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life. She was a finalist in the literature category at the 10th Shorty Awards in 2018. 2Early life Wade grew up in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, to a white mother, Lori Rockett, and black father, Bernardo Wade. At age 6, she "fell in love with writing" after taking a poetry course over the summer.After graduating high school, she decided to pursue fashion and moved to New York City to intern at Missoni. While in the city, she consulted for Alice + Olivia, modeled for Cartier and Armani, and worked as an office manager at Halston.Looking back on this period of her life, Wade reflects: "I was making money for the first time in my life, but I realized I wasn't happy. Nobody tells you what to do when your girlhood dreams bump into your womanhood dreams." She decided to travel the world and soon fell back into painting and poetry.She currently resides in the East Village of Manhattan. 2Career In 2014, Wade posted for the first time on Instagram with the caption "hi internet." This post read in her now-signature handwriting in all capitals: "Dearest, I am writing you this letter to inform you of my unbreakable nature. That's all. Love, Women Everywhere."Her poetry centers around inspiration, affirmations, activism, and female empowerment. After over 1,500 Instagram posts and 500,000 followers later, Wade's work and activism have been widely shared and praise