Top 5 Reasons Why I Prefer an Anti-racist ACCOMPLICE to an “Ally.”

In this podcast I breakdown why anti-racist ACCOMPLICE is preferable to “ally.”  I would love to hear your feedback!   _________________________________________________________________________ Paulo Friere wrote, “Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless mea...

The FEMININE PRONOUN Series #13: The Kids Are Alright!

In this episode I prove that poetry works with seasoned adults, college aged readers and writers, and high school “novices.” I travel from Illinois’s capitol, where I read for the state legislators, and the Illinois Humanities administration, to McKendree University,  and I end with the brillian...

Is there Such a Thing as a Poor White Progressive?

“We po’.” Almost everyday, my grandmother would say this simple sentence. The missing verb served to make it more immediate, like a simple equation. “We po’.” We equaled poor. Sometimes she said it in response to the evening news when groups of white men argued in Washington, DC about...

Representation Matters

I threw the bodiless blonde in the trunk of the car, hoping I’d disposed of it in such a way as to not draw attention to her abrupt disappearance. This was late night espionage. I drove around for days like this. I imagined her painted smile, and her pastel blue eyes with their fixed stare. […]...

The FEMININE PRONOUN Series #11: Black Books, Black Children, & Black Love

This episode of The Feminine Pronoun youtube blog series finds me sharing the power and resonance of Fannie Lou Hamer with a population she loved — children. The EYESEEME bookstore (the only black children’s bookstore in St. Louis) provided a welcoming space for the inquisitive crew and their men...

The FEMININE PRONOUN Youtube Vlog #10: Black Poetry & Black Church

In this week’s episode of the Feminine Pronoun series, your intrepid poet (me:) signs books at New Life in Christ Interdenominational Church. I sold and signed copies of my book, *chop: a collection of kwansabas for fannie lou hammer*. It’s being carried in their book store, the LIFE CHANGER book...