Epic Journeys, Part Two

Epic Journeys, Part Two - reflections

So I promised to share more about my epic summer journeys... and now I'm deep into fall journeys... Its been a hectic past few months and so I haven't had a chance to get back to the blog and share. Swamped with deadlines, teaching, writing, finishing projects, and working on new ones, I'm feeling incredibly blessed as I reflect on all that I've been up to these past months. And most importantly, finished my scholarly book last month and sent it off to the editor for what I hope and trust will be the final review process. 

Finally coming up for air... and ready to share a bit more about my travels -- a recap through photos and brief descriptions... and just playin catch up on the blog. Still processing my powerful and inspiring time in Ghana for the Yari Yari Ntoaso 3rd International Conference on Literature by Women of African Ancestry. So grateful for all the new connections and intense exchange. And grateful for all those who made this gathering happen (Rosamond King and Jaira Placide especially). I'm still thinking about all brilliance we shared and the beautiful fellowship among so many warrior sistren writers and artists. 

Yari Yari Ntoaso 2013

Highlights for me: spending time and being nourished in light of Angela Davis and Ama Ata Aidoo; connecting with and exchanging books with these fabulous writers - Yolanda Arroyo Pizarro, Olumide Popoola, Dorothea Smartt, Zetta Elliot, Gabrielle Civil, and Latasha N. Nevada Diggs; honoring Jayne Cortez who started Yari Yari and OWWA - celebrating her light, knowing she was with us throughout the conference; presenting my community/activist work (focusing on Ayiti Resurrect) on the Authors and Action panel with fierce women (including one of my sheros Eintou Pearl Springer); reading from my book Saltwater Healing as a featured writer at PAWA House; and participating in "Writing through the Body: Performance Art" - piece #1 Led by Wura-Natasha Ogunji - "Mo gbo, mo branch" (that focuses on women, migration, and movement in public spaces). She invited six of us to join her to create this piece in which we each carried vessels of dirt, then spread the dirt onto the ground, making different imprints with our bodies, erasing the imprint and starting again. We did this four times, and then scooped up all the dirt and put it all back into our vessels and walked off in a line carrying the vessels on our heads. For me, the performance spoke of the often invisible and hard labor of women and how women's bodies are seen and move around the world. It also made me think about migration and what we leave when we spend time, live or move to a particular place and what it means to create homespace, leave, and return or not. I was really honored to participate and perform - it was incredibly powerful and spiritual.

Mo gbo, mo branch

Writing the Body - Performance Art, Yari Yari 2013

After the conference, we had an intense day trip to Cape Coast and the Elmina Slave Castle - overwhelming and necessary... poems emerging from these experiences... soon come. Also I got to spend some time in the Du Bois Center and the George Padmore Library. And finally, we took a two day trip to Kumasi and got to see the countryside of Ghana during the drive - and while in Kumasi we visited the markets and the cultural center - getting just a taste of the beautiful city. Spending quality time with friends and sharing in the post conference inspirations. During our drive back to Accra, the supermoon was rising above the mountains, and I spent the night chasing the moon, feeling her power/magic. That moon, the beach in Accra, sharing space with friends, feeling the ancestors, walking with spirit... I treasure those moments and hold them very close... Feeling affirmed and rooted in the work I am here to do because of journeys like these... (Here are my photos of the conference and travels around Ghana: Facebook Album Yari Yari.) 

This summer was all about return for me... I travelled back to places I have been before, and so each place felt comfortable yet new at the same time -- seeing it again with older eyes. Ghana still felt like home, like it did the first time I visited over 10 years ago (for a study abroad). And this time I got to see new places and being there for Yari Yari and sharing the journey with sistren writers and artists made it an incredibly unique experience. Just a week after epic journey to Ghana, I was back in the air traveling to Grenada for the Caribbean Studies Association conference in June. Presented my scholarly work on two panels -- one was a unique double panel in honor of Audre Lorde (led by Lyndon Gill and Alison Donnell) - we built an altar, and I had the great privilege to read Jacqui Alexander's fierce opening remarks! (pure fyah) and then I closed our honoring with my poem Libation, and we had the most beautiful dancers and drummers. It was truly a powerful afternoon and a welcome/needed intervention into the academic space of the conference. It was in many ways an anti-panel. I also did several other things at the conference - discussed the Theorizing Homophobias in the Caribbean collection on a journals roundtable, and I facilitated the sexualities working group meeting. And finally, I read my poetry at the Literary Salon, sharing the stage with the amazing Merle Collins (an incredible honor). I also had the most amazing time at the ARC 7 launch - a really fierce collaboration with Groundation Grenada that featured a reading with Oonya Kempadoo and film screenings. Overall, I had the most productive time in Grenada. Her land/seascape was just what I needed... reminding me how much I miss my Caribbean homespace... And how important Grenada is for all of us... 

The summer continued with a much needed writing retreat with my SPACE collective (what happens at SPACE stays at SPACE). Then I went to Trinidad for the month of July to teach and facilitate the Caribbean IRN's short course on "Critical Sexuality Studies" with my co-chair Rosamond King - in collaboration with the Institute for Gender and Development at UWI and CAISO. I have been to Trinidad before (in 2007 for a conference), and so another return for me... to a place of some of my ancestors and a place that truly feels like home. And so there is so much to share about this... and so that will unfold in future writings... But for now a recap of what I did while there - the work - the teaching, the public events, and more.... See my article on ARC Magazine's blog: "Advancing Perspectives on Caribbean Sexualities."  I am so proud of this work and what we were able to do in such a short amount of time. We brought together different kinds of people to grapple with and engage in discourse about sexuality and sexualities. We did something that I think is vital for radical progressive work - holding and creating spaces that trouble/vex the boundaries and bridge/connect higher education, knowledge production sites, community activism, politics, and art making.

Wall Mural - Bohemia, Port of Spain, Trinidad

More photos of the course and related events are on Facebook. And there are videos of the public events on the IGDS youtube channel. I close with a link of me reading poetry at one of the public events organized with IGDS, CAISO, and Alison Donnell called Sexualities in the Tent. I was honored to share my poetry and talk about sexuality and desire in such an open and loving way.








epic journeys 2013!!! so nourished and so blessed!!! on this all hallow's eve, samhain, dia de los muertos... time of honoring our ancestors and remembering & celebrating those who have passed... I do all that I do because of those who came before... guided by my ancestors...

and the work continues, in the struggle... loving and living...

with conscious wibes dem...
more fyah soon,
Angelique

"Grace of Wonder"

Too much to catch up on ...  reporting back on the second part of summer travels in "Epic Journeys, part two" still in progress.  But in the meantime, I wanted to share a poem I wrote last Fall and finished this summer...  

I just got back from a really inspiring time at a conference on Black Sexual Economies: Transforming Black Sexualities Research. And so I decided it was time to share this poem because it feels/sounds like a perfect reflection of what it means for me to think about, represent, and take seriously our erotic and sexual lives as Black people, and Black women particularly.  Making ourselves subject...  being and becoming...  Carving spaces for ourselves to be...  

I saw Grace Jones in concert last October for the first time, and I was in awe and wonder of her being, and so I thought a lot about my mother and her being...  My mother's middle name is Grace and she was a performer too - she danced in a Cabaret show on Paradise Island in the Bahamas in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  But things didn't work out so well for my mother in those spaces and in her life for all kinds of reasons...  and so that's what came out in this poem - imagining what kind of inspiration Grace Jones might have been for my mother.  There were all these moments during the concert that made me think about this -  especially as Grace Jones' son was on the stage playing in her band, and I wondered what it must be like to be her kid...  this made me think of these relationships between sexy empowered mothers and their children even more - and their similarities as fierce and beautiful... misunderstood women... in the context of all the controls over Black women's bodies - also thinking about their differences - Grace Jones as a dark skinned Black women and my mother as a light skinned Black woman...  yet I see something similar in the performance and defiance of their bodies in a time/space we continue to grapple with in the context of our search for sexual freedom.

Grace of Wonder

Angelique V. Nixon

I see you Grace Jones

on this late October evening

blessing us at Roseland, New York City

for two loving hours, gripping us with magical

transformations, dazzling us in the light

bending to your will, smooth and rough,

like your powerful voice,

each hat, each accessory

defying gravity. 

I see her in you, you in her

my mother, Kim Grace Louise,

imagining that she was

or could have been

like you

if only, she had been able

to be

her full self

and thrive.

There is such danger in being a Black woman

in charge of her own self, in love with her own dynamic flesh,

(dangerous loving our black selves, especially in the dark, but we must love our flesh, we must love all our flesh and each others’ flesh in all hues, tones, spaces in between),

she so comfortable in her dark vibrant skin

she so confident in her sexy lifeforce

she so defiant in her raw sassy voice

rock star in freakdom performance,

genius and unafraid

creating rhythms out of chains

people attempt to place, name

and capture you, as you remix them

words sounds movement in brilliant ecstasy.

I see you playfully and subtly

yet forcefully using your voice

as weapon

as choice

as force to be

never contained

living wildly, breaking through, madness

carving space to be more than

exploding categories

the definition of fierce

you are hurricane force winds

escaping from restraints of mind body control

your images have haunted me

reminders ever so slightly of her.

I see you in her, her in you

I wonder if she found you as a teenager

as a dancer with starry dreams

as a young woman growing up as she raised me

looking up to you as a symbol

of freedom

a path to wholeness

amidst the haziness

of never being enough.

I imagine her looking up to you

seeing the grace in you through

her eyes, her voice, her body

I’m a hurricane

Here I come

Eye of the hurricane

The calm before the storm

she was always the storm

raging fyah nestled in love

and ever defiance

she was everything yet nothing like people said

she was outrageous, flamboyant, and (sometimes) free

in the ways she could be

she was graceful fyah

whipping her soul around spreading

herself to thing of desire, dancing

yet reeling herself tightly

into a ball twisting upon self protection

shell exterior tough

with all this Yemanja and Oya power
I see you both casting whips and spells.   

New York Launch & Reading - Saltwater Healing - Video & More

Here is a video recording of the New York reading and launch of my art and poetry collection Saltwater Healing - A Myth Memoir and Poems (Poinciana Paper Press, 2013) at Bluestockings Bookstore on 2 May 2013. Thanks so much to Beryl Edgecombe who filmed the event for her TV show "Dem Bahamians" on Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN)! This aired in June on the show - and is available on youtube as well. I've been so swamped with traveling and work that I haven't had time yet to write a reflection about this evening - and so finally I am sitting still for a moment to say thanks and share.

This is such a beautiful reminder of a really special evening shared with my New York community! Sharing on my blog gives me an opportunity to give thanks again to everyone who came and made this all possible. I was humbled and blessed by your support! Giving special thanks to my dearest friends and loved ones (in no particular order) who came: Beatrice, Al, Chaney, Ganessa, Tei, Miyo, Adaku, Samara, Rosamond, Jamie, Shauntee, Jon, Ari, and (last but not least) one of my best friends Eduardo who came from South Florida for the event. And all those who were there with me in spirit. And giving extra special thanks to my fellow poets for sharing their powerful words at the event. I was honored to share the stage with my writing sistren Charan P Morris (poet and educator) and Gabrielle Civil (performance artist and poet). They brought their fyah and fierceness! Thank you all for bearing witness to Saltwater Healing! I felt then and continue to feel incredibly loved. Thanks to Sonia Farmer - editor/founder of Poinciana Paper Press - who joined us as well to talk about the press and to introduce the book. (Thanks so much Sonia for making time during your New York trip to be a part of this beautiful evening.) Thanks to Jessica Lynne of Zora Magazine - who hosted the evening and also helped plan the event. Jessica took my Black women writers course at NYU, which I taught while on a postdoctoral fellowship in 2009. She reached out to me after hearing about my book being published earlier this year - and she asked to help organize the NY reading. The stars aligned and we made it happen! (Thanks Jessica - you are amazing!) Finally thanks to Bluestockings for hosting us in their fabulous space!





Beryl also invited me to the MNN studio in late May for an interview about my work. This aired sometime in June after the launch aired. Thanks Beryl for having me on your show!





*** My summer is in full swing - currently in Trinidad teaching and facilitating a short course on "Critical Sexuality Studies - Theory & Practice" with the Caribbean IRN and Institute of Gender and Development at University of the West Indies. Check out my article in ARC Magazine discussing the course and related events titled - "Exploring Caribbean Sexualities". I am here in Trinidad and Tobago for the month of July - teaching, writing, facilitating, and sharing. More updates on my epic journeys soon! Until then, peace, love & conscious wibes. ***

Epic Journeys, Part One

Being a Revolutionary Intellectual – In Radical Process 

(or what the hell am I doing in the academy?)

Sylvia Wynter circa 1972

And I felt that somehow being a revolutionary intellectual might be a goal to which one might aspire, for surely there was no real reason why one should remain in the academic world – that is, remain an intellectual – and at the same time not be revolutionary.

- Walter Rodney

So what our consciousness has been battling against, the regime of "truth" which has structured our "consciousness," is functioning against our best interests. It is negating ourselves; and so there's this constant struggle. You see, it's not just an intellectual struggle. You could call it a psycho­intellectual struggle. Then you could understand why in the '60s it wasn't just a call for Black Studies; it was a call for Black Aesthetics, it was a call for Black Art(s), it was a call for Black Power. It was an understanding that, as Lewis Gordon has been the first to keep insisting, we live in an anti-Black world -- a systemically anti-Black world; and, therefore, whites are not [simply] "racists."  They too live in the same world in which we live. The truth that structures their minds, their  "consciousness," structures ours. So the great battle now is going to be against “the truth.”

- Sylvia Wynter

So I’m finally sitting down to share reflections on my blog consciousvibration of my epic journeys to Ghana in May and Grenada in June, and then I read a beautiful tribute and sad reminder of the anniversary of Walter Rodney’s assassination in my facebook newsfeed. I had just gotten back from Grenada a couple days before, and I was in recovery mode from intense conferencing and back to back (blessed) travels across continents and oceans. I was thinking about the whirlwind of movement, exchange, and beautiful experiences – and wanting to write down every important moment  But my body had other plans for me – a week of rest and healing. So I finally get to this piece of writing and the words of Walter Rodney stay with me until this piece of writing becomes me reflecting on the hows and whys of my travels.

Both of these trips were for conferences funded through my work in the academy yet fueled and reflective of my work outside of it (my creative and community work – my art/poetry/organizing). And so when I read this quote by Walter Rodney above  (on the anniversary of his death on 13 June), it resonated deeply with me as I continue to struggle with my vexing relationship to the academic world – never feeling like I really belong. It also reminded me that if I am to be in it, then I must stay true to who I am in the world: staying in the struggle for freedom and liberation, social and environmental justice, fighting for sexual, gender, class, and racial equality, creating space for resistance and desire, AND using my voice, my art, my teaching, my writing -- as feminist, womanist, anti-imperial, anti-racist, class conscious, queer affirming, loving Blackness, and radical transgressive movement. Being a revolutionary for me means all these things and more… being in the tradition of women of color writers and feminists and all of our ancestors who resisted before/when our revolutions were thought impossible/unthinkable. Revolution means struggle, but it also means healing and radical self-care and love. It also means taking incredible risks and being a warrior – at times alone and afraid but rooted and guided by spirit and the earth…

So I believe that I am (and I aspire to be) as Rodney suggests – a revolutionary intellectual – in radical process. I agree with him completely – it is the ONLY reason (for me) to remain in the academy. I have also reflected on Sylvia Wynter’s reasoning and critique about Western systems of knowledge and how we must constantly do battle with our own consciousness (as Black people particularly but also as people of color and marginalized peoples generally) because “academia is a process of socialization” – i.e. educational systems as they exist function to “reproduce the order of society” (see her brilliant interview in ProudFlesh, Issue 4 2006). Therefore, Wynter argues that we must do battle against “Truth” and engage in a psycho-intellectual struggle. So as we learn and teach in these institutions, we are implicated in an elitist and controlling, western dominated systems of knowledge. But teaching and learning in such institutions forged my intellectual growth and social mobility, even though I know these places were never meant for me/us and that they will never accept me/us fully – somehow I have had to be okay with that – and take what I need and continue to forge my path – and use its resources to further my community and creative work. And while I am in them – do battle with “the truth” – and turn it inside out and make my teaching and writing part of the necessary unsilencing and challenging of these very systems of knowledge. (Let me clear - I know this ain't easy work and I'm not entirely sure if I can make a difference but I push forward - aware of the hypocrisies, the contradictions, and the corporate takeover of universities.) I remain critically engaged (in battle perhaps) with these institutions and the academic world – existing both inside and outside.

But for today, I find much comfort in Rodney’s words – and hold them close as I make sense of my years and discomfort in the academy. I think about my travels since I started my career in academia. I think about the mobility and access to places and people I may never have had if I didn’t get my academic hustle on and funding to present at dozens of conferences around the world – from Brazil to France, all over the U.S., and across the Caribbean – my homespaces (places I have come to know and love because of opportunities afforded me through the academic world). And I remember me as a little girl who dared to dream that I could be something other than poor and troubled, and that maybe one day I would leave Nassau and travel. And I remember when I found out that there was a thing called University – and I wanted to go – even when I dropped out of high school. I dreamed, worked hard, and took advantage of opportunities as they came my way – knowing that they came with a price and that some of these had something to do with my light skin, mixed race’ness and silence about race and class, while others came when I stopped being silent. (The paradox of difference. The paradox of being both invisible and hypervisible. The dilemmas of so-called multiculturalism and post-racial colorblind belief systems / bullshit – even when evidence to the contrary proves otherwise.)  And so I live in this paradox and embrace all the in-betweens and contradictions – and do what I can to create the spaces inside and outside where we can be critically engaged in resistance/revolution and re-build our consciousness - as Wynter says we must.

And so I am grateful and blessed to have these experiences, as they have made me even more committed to community organizing, creativity, and praxis. Since the beginning of my journey in the academy, I have insisted on making my commitment to community work and my creative self a priority. It is fitting then that my most recent journeys reflect a combination of my/selves as writer/poet/artist/teacher/scholar/activist – and that my invitation to share at the Yari Yari Ntoaso conference in Accra, Ghana was rooted in my creative writing and my grassroots organizing work in Haiti. And my work with the Caribbean Studies Association (CSA) and its annual conference has been grounded in regional organizing and support of Caribbean sexual minority organizations, as well as creating space for Caribbean Sexuality Studies and LGBT-identified scholars, artist, activists and allies within CSA and across the region. (More reflections and photos of epic journeys soon come - in my next post.)

Sitting with the words and works of Walter Rodney and Sylvia Wynter over the past few days as I wrote this piece has given me a renewed sense of place and perspective on what I am doing in the academy and what I will continue to do in spite of and because of my discomfort and un-belonging. All I can do is hold onto the promise and work of Revolution and stay in the struggle. There is so much going on right now across the world, its hard to make sense of it all and figure out where to put one’s energy – in this time of planetary shifts, environmental and economic catastrophes with masses of people rising up against austerity measures and government/corporate control, continued wars and occupations and too much bloodshed and sexual assault in the face of U.S. imperialism, prisoners at Guantanamo on hunger strike, attacks on LGBTQ people and rights, the alarming numbers of sexual abuse and domestic violence, the new bounty on Assata… and too much more… my heart wants to break with all this sadness, pain, and destruction…  but instead I mend her up with these dreams and hopes of revolution… and keep working. 

Thank you Sylvia Wynter for your insights, your brilliance, and the depth of your intellectual battles. Thank you for continuing to keep us on our intellectual rigor to overstand and embrace your mighty words and theories. 

Rest strong in the struggle Walter Rodney. Thank you for your work, your wisdom, your insistence on revolution. Thank you for keeping us honest and critical.

The Spring Event - Twilight Reasoning with Carole Boyce Davies

I had the opportunity to organize a major lecture at Susquehanna University where I teach in the Department of English and Creative Writing. And I was really pleased to invite Carole Boyce Davies to the campus. Since I teach courses on Black women writers and Caribbean and African Diaspora Literatures and Cultures, among others, I wanted to have a scholar who was prominent in these fields and who would also be accessible to the students. I teach Boyce Davies' work in most of my literature courses, and so I thought she would be perfect - and she was! The event was held earlier this month on April 4th - and I had the pleasure to introduce her to the audience, which included over 100 students and faculty! I shared not only her impressive list of accomplishments and major contributions to several fields of study, but I also shared how I first met Carole. Here is part of my introduction: 

Dr. Carole Boyce Davies is professor of Africana Studies and English at Cornell University.  Her major works include the prize-winning Left of Karl Marx. The Political Life of Black Communist Claudia Jones and Black Women, Writing and Identity: Migrations of the Subject. Her most recent book is an edition of the writings of Claudia Jones titled Beyond Containment: Autobiography, Essays, Poetry. Her current project is a series of personal reflections, and academic essays titled Caribbean Spaces. Escapes from Twilight Zones dealing with the issue of transnational Caribbean/American black identity. 

Her work examining the political life, writing, activism, and legacy of Claudia Jones (1915-1964), who was a pioneering Afro-Caribbean radical intellectual, dedicated communist, and feminist, uncovers one of the most important thinkers, activists, and organizers in African diaspora history. Boyce Davies has unearthed the work and struggles of this major figure, who might have remained in the shadows of history – buried to the left of Karl Marx in London’s Highgate Cemetery. But as Carole Boyce Davies argues – this location is fitting considering the ways that Claudia Jones expanded Marxism-Leninism to include gender and race in her political critique and activism. 

I had the great privilege to meet Dr. Boyce Davies as a graduate student in 2006 at the ACWWS (Association of Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars) conference in South Florida. I had already read her brilliant work Black Women Writing and Identity, which became not only a primary source of theoretical engagement for my dissertation and now book project, but also an affirmation of my own experience as a migrant Black mixed-race woman writer and feminist scholar. Her theoretical engagement with Black women writers I had read and studied and continue to read and study (and teach) made me a more careful and astute scholar and writer. And so I was (and still am) by all accounts a huge fan. She was the main organizer of this conference and as a result very busy – and so I never expected to meet her or even have a conversation. Much to surprise, not only did I get to meet her, she attended my panel and later asked me to submit my paper for review in an anthology (which was accepted and published in the collection Caribbean Woman Writer as Scholar). This was a major honor to be asked by a leading person in the field of Caribbean Studies to submit a piece of work. And what was even more exciting and inspiring for me as a graduate student was watching and learning from such a prominent scholar and writer who is so incredibly supportive of emerging scholars/writers. Since then, we have  stayed in touch, met up at conferences, exchanged ideas, and reasoned about Caribbean politics and culture, literature, music, and art. She continues to be a mentor and an inspiration for me and many others. 

Carole's lecture, titled "Caribbean Diasporic Circulations: Poetics and Politics," addressed the various ways that Caribbean cultures have produced and been the product of a variety of migrations, political contributions and engagements. She shared insights into the ways that Caribbean cultures have influenced diaspora and movements across the world. She discussed literature, music, art and politics and offered intriguing insights into the poetics and politics of this dynamic engagement with the Caribbean at the center. The audience was captivated with her examples of how Caribbean cultural productions - art, music, pop culture, and literature - influence and reverberate around the globe. From the Japanese woman who won the Jamaica dancehall queen 2006 title, the pop culture sensations Rihanna and Nicky Minaj, the iconic place of Bob Marley, political figures Malcolm X and Claudia Jones, the powerful poetry of Dionne Brand and Kamau Brathwaite, to the recent superbowl VW add, Carole's analysis of Caribbean diasporic circulations were poignant and resonated with contemporary points of reference for a wide audience. She moved through important arguments about the place of Caribbean history and culture as a critical center for conversations and theorizing about diaspora.     

Carole Boyce Davies - Lecture at SU

After the lecture, students and faculty asked engaging questions and then we had a lovely reception in the Department's lounge. Many of my students attended and were thrilled and honored to meet such a distinguished scholar. They told me after how excited they were.

The entire visit was a blessing for me - more reminders of how essential it is to have strong mentorships and friendships with fellow women of color in the academy in similar fields of study. She has offered me guidance over the years that continues to be invaluable for my career and well being. I appreciate her and am grateful to include her in my circle of comrades. It was a delight to share with each other about current projects. And we talked about the academy and small town USA places where some Caribbean people end up migrating and moving to - places she so powerfully calls "twilight zones" in her latest collection of essays. As she described her use of this metaphor to me, it all made sense - as we reasoned about how to stay healthy, well, and productive in these spaces that may be challenging and counter intuitive to health and well being. I am holding our reasonings close to my spirit as I wrap up another semester in a twilight zone - and meditate upon wellness and focus on productivity. With my scholarly book deadline around the corner, end of semester grading, and my summer travels on the horizon, I know that I must get it all done and get it done well. Thank you Carole for your inspiring wisdom!

Earthday Reflections & Spring Catch Up!

Still riding high on the wave of the publication of my book Saltwater Healing! I'm thrilled to announce that my New York launch is coming up on May 2nd at Bluestockings! I've been blessed with help from one of my former NYU students - Jessica Lynne - who took a class with me in Spring 2009. And she offered to help me organize this event - and she has been amazing! (Thank you Jessica!) She will be the host for the event. And I'm really excited to share the stage with my fellow poet sistren - Charan P Morris and Gabrielle Civil - who will be sharing some of their work. Also Sonia Farmer - editor/founder of Poinciana Paper Press will also be there! Can't wait to celebrate with my NY community!

*~*~*

This winter was a rough one for my island blood - hence, I've been in hibernation mode. Although this is my fourth winter, I still ain't use to the cold... and so winters are hard for me still. And each year brings another set of challenges as the planet responds to / is deeply affected by climate change and the weather gets stranger and more severe. We are all affected yet experience it in different ways. But the reality is sinking in for many of us around the world - we in trouble. Seriously... we are at a critical juncture and finally - since Superstorm Sandy, the U.S. mass media is paying attention. I went to the climate change march protesting the Keystone pipeline on 17th February in Washington, D.C. - ironically on the coldest day ever - and in spite of the frigid weather - thousands of people marched and carried signs and participated in this public outcry calling for change - to stop the pipeline, to cut emissions, to create a carbon tax, support cleaner and greener alternative energies, etc. While I generally feel that "the march" is no longer the most effective way to create change, what I do find valuable is the sense of solidarity that can be built during such a protest. There is something magical that happens when people come together united and in solidarity around issues that are a common or shared experience and/or concern. I believe in that power and possibility. I believe it helps us to feel more united and less alone in the struggle. But I also believe the real work happens before and after the protest. 

Some thoughts and reflections during the snow and stormy madness of these winter months. I've also been hard at work on my scholarly book Resisting Paradise - revising, re-working, and editing. And then there's teaching - the day to day of prep work, reading, grading, more grading. Through all this, climate change and what are we doing and must do differently weigh heavily on my spirit. And so today - Earthday - is just another reminder, but also a moment to reflect and pour so much love and light into the earth - and use these moments to take action. We each have a part to play in how we can help save this/our planet. I've spent many years doing different kinds of organizing work, but most of all, I make great efforts to live in the most ethical and sustainable ways as I can. 

I've spent the past two years developing a social and environmental justice curriculum for high school and college courses based on Hurricane Season with a team of educators and activists. I created and taught the college course at Susquehanna University for the past three semesters - and its been a journey! There have been challenges and successes as I introduce first year college students to issues like state violence, mass incarceration, gender-based violence, the water crisis, climate change, environmental injustice, disaster capitalism, and displacement through the lens of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the earthquake in Haiti. After teaching over 120 students this curriculum, I have to say that regardless of the difficulties they have in getting some of the material, most of them leave the course understanding the environmental crisis we are in and how this affects all of us. My main goal in this course is to help them to think more critically about the world, to see the relationship between social and environmental issues, and to get them to be engaged in learning, reading, and writing about these issues in critical and solution oriented ways. Teaching and preparing for these classes keep me in up to date and in constant search for new ideas and information. 

And this year's winter hibernation kept me focused. Now I am coming up for air and spring time, ready for summer heat, and wanting to share more on conscious vibration about what I've been up to these past months.

Soon come - full report of my inspiring time with the brilliant Carole Boyce Davies, who has been an important mentor to me since I was a graduate student. I asked her to do a lecture at the university where I work - and the event was amazing!

All this and more brought me out of my winter hibernation into spring bloom!