Artist Statement

I’ve always struggled to express my feelings but writing is how I’ve connected to my experiences. It is how I reverse-engineered an understanding of my own intersectionality. Being a Black, queer, fat woman in America has many nuances and vulnerabilities. I use vivid imagery & extended metaphors to give autonomy to each side of my identity. I believe that poetry has the muscles it takes to bear the weight of such a burden.

I write largely about my body and its relationship to the world. How it has been told to behave, what is appropriate for it to wear, and how much space it should yield to others in a room. This is how I became comfortable with it. In doing so, similar bodies have representation they can read over and over until the pages are well worn.

I tend to write free-verse poetry. However, I have started embracing the challenge of using more poetic forms. I spent years in the world of spoken word and poetry slams where my presence was required to be wilder than on the page, unrestrained, and punchier in way. It’s where I learned to stretch a poetic device. Where I found my voice and smoothed out my cadence. 

The version of myself that wrote for the stage is the reason I know how to write for myself. I figured out my boundaries, when to honor them, and when to push past them. It is why I am able to experiment more within the parameters of the page and introduce tension through enjambment and shape. For a long time, I got away with not honing the technical aspect of writing. I thought if my message was louder than my competitors it had merit. Now, I am showing up. I am leaning into the power of tender messaging while honoring my foundation.