Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Rainy Day Reflection


  • I'm listening to "Shh...Peaceful" by Miles Davis. Yeah, yeah, I know the title is ironic given the volatile and reputed violent nature of this musical genius but who says a brother can like someone's art but not so much everything about the artist. They call that ethical relativism, right?


  • Rainy weather is my favorite weather.


  • I'm reading a collection of essays by the Toure`. You should check him out in case you have not already. His website is http://www.toure.com/


  • I have so much to do in way of school work, grad school applications, and still need to eat!!! I need to get my hands on a copy of Broke Diaries.


  • I'm looking forward to the Legacy Awards that the Hurston/Wright Foundation has every year. I'll be doing a tribute for Sonia Sanchez with three other writers.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Midterm Reflection

This week marks midterm season, which means a little over a month left to school. There seems to be, unecessarily so, a long laundry list of things to do before getting out of here. I don't have a problem with my classes (except, Swimming and my Playwriting class.) I recall when I first got accepted to Howard my recruiter said to me "It's a lot easier to get in then to get out." I didn't quite grasp her meaning until now. My problem is one of patience. I want to break free like those migratory birds and show the colors of my coat that I recently discovered. I have so much writing I want to do. I want to find a job. Prepare for my MFA program. Start my life! School seems to be holding me back.

That aside, there will be some things I will miss about being a Howard student. There's something mythic about this space. When my peers and I talk in class we can hear our voices reverberate against the walls. If you listen closely you can hear other voices blending with our own. When I enter certain classes, I hear Ossie Davis and Carter G. Woodson and Frederick Douglass joining in on our conversations about uplift and progress and being conscientious about imperialism.

So much to be missed. Yet, I feel as if I'm choking on my blood staying here.

Monday, October 1, 2007

The District on My Mind.

Hello friends!

Check out the latest issue of Beltway which features an anthology of DC writers discussing the ways in which "change" has affected them. I am proud to see this issue morph into fruition, it began as a seed that I passed along to editor Kim Roberts, then it germinated into this wonderful issue.


The Fall issue of Beltway Poetry Quarterly is now online--and what a terrific issue it is! "The Evolving City" is an anthology of 36 poems that address the multiplicity of ways that cities change over time.

http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/

Co-edited by Teri Ellen Cross and Kim Roberts, the featured authors are:

Abdul Ali * Joseph Awad * Kimberly L. Becker * Japheth Brubaker * Rick Cannon * Kenneth Carroll * Grace Cavalieri * William Claire * Ramola D * Heather Davis * Mark DeFoe * Greta Ehrig * Mark Ftizgerald * Martin Galvin * Brian Gilmore * Fannie H. Gray * Daniel Gutstein * Jessica Haney * Joyce Latham * Grisella Martinez * E. Ethelbert Miller * Kathleen O'Toole * Jose Padua * Linda Pastan * John Peacock * Elizabeth Poliner * Katy Richey * Joseph Ross * Carly Sachs * David Salner * Kate Powell Shine * Tanya Snyder * Dan Vera * Joshua Weiner * Rosemary Winslow * Katherine E. Young
We hope you enjoy it!http://www.beltwaypoetry.com/