Funeral for Home Watercolor paper stacked rough as old hands-- heater grates open to a desert. Florence Boulevard smolders in inch-deep volcano ash-- thick merlot carpet petrifies like bone. A ghost kicks dirt in the basement. Long hairs drizzle the bathtub. Hornets lull the dead, fruit drops and worms feast.
Poems By James Baldwin
Happy #NaPoWriMo everyone. I'll be posting some of my dailies here. In the meantime, here are three gems from James Baldwin's NEW poetry collection. "I Don’t Feel Death Coming / I Feel Death Going": 3 Poems By James Baldwin.
#NaPoWriMo
In preparation for the inception of NaPoWriMo--an intense thirty-day poetry binge for those of us paralyzed by fears of audience, topic, detail, and ourselves--we discuss why anyone would put themselves through the torturous process of writing a bad poem draft every single day. The answer? Lots of wine. It's almost April, which means baby animals, Earth… Continue reading #NaPoWriMo
Success
My post-internship contemplation has solidified my long-held suspicion that I cannot be an intern--least of all when my supervisors have less work experience combined than I do myself. Alexandra Kimball's brilliant, sad essay touches on the anguish felt by those of us who are realizing that the job we always wanted is reserved for rich folks,… Continue reading Success
Grad
So as you know if you follow my every move via social media, I got a big fat rejection email from the grad program I applied to at the University of Washington. While part of me is surprised--the honors-graduating, essay-planning, highlighter-toting part of me--in many ways, I expected it. My application was viciously progressive, and… Continue reading Grad
5 Words to NEVER Use in Poetry
Another in the JBAC series--this time, gearing up for NaPoWriMo. I'm still considering if I will participate, but I'm leaning yes. I need something to rev my poetry into high gear, and last time I participated (in 2012), I ended up with half of my creative writing thesis. There are many things worthy of a… Continue reading 5 Words to NEVER Use in Poetry
Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My rating: 5 of 5 stars Yowza. This novel is electric. Narrator Kambili is at once intuitive, observant, and silenced, leaving the reader with sparse, sensory descriptions that defy time. The language shifts with Kambili's awakening to a world larger than Mass, prayer, and obedience, revealing a level of… Continue reading Hibiscus
Video available:: Afrocentrism, vegan methodology of the racially oppressed, and revolutionary black feminism
Read an amazing interview with Dr. A. Breeze Harper (aka Sistah Vegan) and found her fabulous blog. This article features video of a talk she gave at UC Berkeley about Afrocentric Veganism--a decolonial understanding of food geography and imperialist politics. Brilliant! Read and share.
Oreo by Micah McCrary – Identity Theory
We just published a stellar essay over at Identity Theory. This is the kind of nonfiction we should all get into. Oreo, an essay by Micah McCrary - Identity Theory.
Hipster Lit
Another from the series of Juniper Bends Author Collective posts--this time, I reflect on millenial literature and reveal my inner grandma. Yesterday, after getting off of work to a rainy afternoon, I sat in my blue reading chair and polished off the entirety of Tao Lin's Shoplifting from American Apparel. I was left with a sole… Continue reading Hipster Lit
Jesse Rice-Evans 