Modern Griots Reviews: Highlights from Word, Rock and Sword Concert

I love seeing spaces where a group of women with so much power, spirit, energy, creativity and love, and who break the mold get the shine they deserve. So here is some shine for them today. In their fourth year, the Toshi Reagon-presented and funded (with no sponsors) Word, Rock and Sword Festival provides a […]

Modern Griots Interviews: Colored Girls Hustle Part 2

*Become a patron and support my blog and other writing endeavors on Patreon! __________ Here is part two of yesterday’s interview with Colored Girls Hustle’s Taja Lindley and Jessica Valoris.In this part, they talk about their plans and expectations for the mixtape and Colored Girls Hustle, and how their work is both futuristic and ancient. Enjoy! […]

Modern Griots Interviews: Colored Girls Hustle Part 1

*Become a patron and support my blog and other writing endeavors on Patreon! __________ Hey, everyone! I’m returning after a short break with an interview I did with Colored Girls Hustle’s Taja Lindley and Jessica Valoris. A few weeks ago I did a review of their Colored Girls Hustle Hard mixtape and below they talk about […]

The My-Stery: Honoring Black Women’s Voices, Bodies and Supernaturalness

“The erotic is a resource within each of us that lies in a deeply female and spiritual plane, firmly rooted in the power of our unexpressed or unrecognized feeling.” – Audre Lorde Quite a number of people within the past couple of weeks have basically told black women (and other women of color in general) […]

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth: Audre Lorde’s “A Woman Speaks”

In honor of Audre Lorde’s birthday, which was yesterday, here is her poem, “A Woman Speaks.” I read comments about this poem and that it is about women in general, but I disagree. If it is read carefully, especially the last few lines, it is clear that it is about black women whose voices are […]

The My-Stery: Sacra Vulva

With issues concerning women consistently headlining in the news in not just the past few weeks (ex. Malala Yousafzai), but for months now with examples like Todd Akin, I want to take some time to write about one aspect that goes unmentioned. Many of these discussions about women show a fear and lack of understanding […]

The My-Stery: Frankensteinian Females

Last week, I wrote about how the ideas about creation in Frankenstein can be found in records like “Dr. Funkenstein” and “Monster.” Since Nicki Minaj is on “Monster,” I want to continue the Frankenstein theme with women. Although Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, most of the women seem to be weak, secondary characters in the story. […]

Modern Griots: Poetry Reading

This is me reading a couple of my poems at Baruch’s Celebration of Women in the Arts last month. I was so nervous that day! I hope you like it!