I wrote this poem as an exploration of the racialized and gendered trauma that has been passed down in my family through multiple generations. I wanted to question the notion of forgiveness for people who have abused me since childhood and have refused to accept me as a woman. What would it mean to recognize and name the demons they are carrying, even as I’ve made the choice to remove myself from their presence for my own safety and well-being?
Joshua Jennifer Espinoza on "A Family History Is Sacred" |
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| | | Deepen your MFA in Poetry at George Mason University by earning a Publishing Credential through our partnership with Poetry Daily. Learn more at our 7PM Open House on Nov 21. |
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An Interview with Kemi Alabi
"Pleasure informs both the craft and content of my writing. I love the pleasure of poems, particularly their sonic delight. I think my work will always be shamelessly lyrical and ecstatic. It might always prioritize music over meaning, though my current craft concern is finding the clarity between those poles."
via Apogee |
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What Sparks Poetry:
Christine De Luca on Jidi Majia’s “The Enduring One”
"Reading the poem I was given, ‘The Enduring One’, I sensed a flavour of the Old Testament books of Genesis and Proverbs, of Norse sagas, of the Finnish Origin stories as told in the Kalevala. There was the same sensual lyricism, the fabulous nature of the tales and the sheer urgency of telling. Also the sense of long kinship, the importance of genealogy and the need to remember, especially heroic forebears." |
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