How do we make change? Explore here:
For historically oppressed communities, poetry is a survival at Poetry as Truth-Telling Towards Democracy
A to do list for literary anti-racism on going beyond inclusion to equity at to be true in deed to anti-racism values
"As a writer of color, I'm not interested in the politics of inclusion alone. I'm invested in the project of equity…" from The Unbearable (White) Maleness of US Poetry And How We Can Enable a Structural Response to Literary Yellowface and Gender Inequity in Publishing
"True: poetry on demand is ordinarily the sphere of Hallmark, weddings, or similar maudlin canvases…And yet, what do we miss when we do not have a poetry in our public sphere?…" from The Hazards of an Inauguration Sans Poetry
"Immigration reform is back on the floor – finally. And yet, the national symbol of choice – and taxpayer investment – remains the fence…" from Write at Home: Immigration as a Seed for Possibilities
"In the context of sexual violence, then, it is precisely in keeping vigil and re-rendering the onus of vigilance where change starts…" from The Value of Vigil(ance) in Ending Sexual Violence
"I can't imagine a better way to spend Valentine's Day than dancing…" from A Love Note for Movement
Why poet? Some ruminations below.
"Because my words drip with arzoo as much as longing…" from To Love, To a Justice of the Heart
"We seek to still vrittis. This search to capture one's essence…" from As the Soul Turns: Thoughts on Linda Pastan's "Ethics"
"We don't often think of ourselves as the heroines or heroes of our own lives…" from Writing for the Heart: A Practice for Self-Liberation
"Sometimes ending is beginning. Sometimes I dream of summer…" from (Re)versing Endings/A Speaking with Art/On "L'Ete"
"Some say this is woman's territory: to know what is unspoken in the midst of what is spoken…" from Poetry Process Profile: Discussion of "Some didn't make it. Some did." and "This is MY NY."
"The subway has become my writing sanctuary and taskmaster…" from Yes, I Travel Poetries
"And Def Leppard, well, yes, they are a good answer, too…" from 5Q4Q
"When you encounter the spare, tight stories of Hisaye Yamamoto, you behold a mirror which begs to be broken…" from What Journeys Trace Lineage
"To think about community as part of the poetic process fundamentally shifts not just who you are writing for but why you write…" from Vida
And if you just want a taste of what rocks my world:
"Birds flying in formation, singing sunrise. Triumphs of justice, the diligent efforts, strategic advocacy, and camaraderie to achieve victories…" from On Our Terms
"The seasons are changing. And perhaps, your fortunes are too…" from Quick Picks for The Aerogram
"Songs of migration – an essence of Terrain Tracks and its making. Songs that mark the journeys of your quiet & loud feelings…" from Soundtrack (a Poet's Playlist) to accompany Terrain Tracks, my poetry collection