Aurora Lynelle Celestin
Ph.D. Student | Religious Studies
Aurora Lynelle Celestin (she/her) is a womanist writer, theologian, preacher, and educator from New York City. She holds a B.A. from Columbia University (’20), an M.F.A. in creative writing from The New School (’22), and an M.Div. in ministerial leadership and theology from Union Theological Seminary ('25). She is a first-year PhD student in religious studies at Yale. Her work as an artist and theorist at the intersection of theology and creative writing considers the ways Black women’s literary arts serve as a theopoetic wellspring to survive trauma and foster life over death while constructing an evolving canon of artwork. Aurora is also pursuing ordination for deacon’s orders in the United Methodist Church.
Graduate Fellow, 2025-2026