Feminine Pronoun Series No. 28: It’s Been Happening Since Ancient Greece

About this episode: Living in the aftermath of the Ferguson rebellion means that there is almost a never ending barrage of well-meaning attempts to “reconcile the community and the police.” When I heard of a New York production’s staged reading that was titled “Antigone and Ferguson,” (being perf...

The Feminine Pronoun Series N. 27: Teachers Will Save the World

I work with perceptive school leaders who want their teachers to understand Diversity and Inclusion & seek the confidence and classroom results that knowledge produces. I was invited to talk with the dynamic faculty at the Times2 STEM Academy in Providence, Rhode Island. My presentation was follo...

The TOP 5 Ways Faculty Can Support Student Activists

You want to jump up and shout because the students on your campus or the individuals in your community are calling out structural bias and even protesting, organizing, and making real headway against it.   Or you’re wondering what the hell is going on. Either way the young people need to be supp...

The Feminine Pronoun Series #23: These Are the Times That Try Women’s Souls

In this week’s vlog I watched the democratic convention and spent time with the Hurston Hughes Scholars. HHS is a self organized group of black parents and teachers who read black literature and invite guests like me and fellow poet Cheeraz Gormon to share our work with them. Coincidentally, I wa...

The Feminine Pronoun Series #22: How Does One #StrikeForBlackLives?

In order to create the societal pressure for real police reform, a movement must happen. Movements are built one step at a time. organizing, conversing, writing, and publicizing are all a part of movement building. Over the last week, I have made a commitment to talk with as many smart people as ...

How to Grieve and Dream at the Same Time

This week’s vlog follows me through a day of workshop with the inimitable Bhanu Kapil.  Bhanu Kapil is a conceptual poet who recently worked for 15 years at the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. Sponsored by the Pulitzer Arts Center, this day long experience for metro area poets was na...

Why Don’t We Crave to See the Families of the Murdered Policemen in Dallas Forgive Micah Johnson?

As the country continues to grapple with the racialized gun violence of the past weeks, several issues of comparison can be explored and discussed.   This is a thought experiment. I have taken an article titled, “Families of Charleston Shooting Victims: “We Forgive You” written by Inae Oh ...