Finally, a new post at Doveglion. Oscar has interviewed Roger Bonair-Agard about his poem, “contradiction: A Ghazal for L’il Wayne.” I am still getting my thoughts together on this poem, which I should do soon, because it’s on my syllabus for next week. I am glad to read Roger’s thoughts on specific word choice, on poetic form, and tradition.

We are still figuring out what to do with the Doveglion space. I have approached one poet about submitting a full length book manuscript. There are a few poets we have lined up to post here. It’ll happen really slowly. I am good with this. There is only so much time and energy I have. Again, I have been thinking about literary activism, about practicing generosity. That’s generally how I am thinking of the Doveglion space.

Some things worth noting: Rebecca Mabanglo-Mayor has a great post on books and birthing. I really appreciate her discussion of the process in its purity, and in its various permutations, rather than conforming to a convoluted standard that only benefits some. Last night, Adrien Salazar, Maiana Minahal, David Maduli, and Sean Labrador y Manzano spoke to students at a Maganda/PAWA event at UC Berkeley. Adrien discussed coming to the realization that he is an artist, happiest when making art, and therefore, it’s a matter of making that possible, prioritizing it in his life. Maiana told the students that in order to persevere, you have to really love writing and the process of writing. Sean encouraged them all to go to lots and lots of readings, see and hear the works of so many others, hear what others are doing, writing about and how they’re doing it. I think about how this really helps us get outside of our own heads, out of our own comfortable use of language, line, form. David talked about a period of years during which he didn’t write. He told the students, that while at VONA,  Suheir Hammad said to them, “there is no such thing as a safe space,” in this world. We just have to write, and do so bravely.