Fodder

These are the reasons I turn to jazz and epic: the tenderness and meticulous care they take with language’s magic; the joy not simply of articulation but of an articulation made sublime. Of course, what both these forms have in common is timing, breath, rhythm: meter. For me, poetry remains an art of song. If I do my job well, you won’t notice that I’m singing to you, you won’t notice certain meters. Hell, if it’s really good, I won’t notice either.

-Robin Coste Lewis on VIDA’s Her Kind blog. 

dailydiggings:

by A. Van Jordan

From (→) prep. 1. Starting at (a particular place or time): As in, John was from Chicago, but he played guitar straight from the Delta; he wore a blue suit from Robert Hall’s; his hair smelled like coconut; his breath, like mint and bourbon; his hands felt like they…

I suppose my ultimate journey has been—and still is—learning to live without any shame, whatsoever, for any belief, gesture, or desire inhabited within my body. Learning to say yes to embodiment full on. And more, learning to celebrate the marvel that is the body, learning to celebrate every part of it, most especially those expressions of which we are taught to be ashamed. So perhaps my ultimate journey is toward acceptance and jubilee. If you happen to be born in an exalted body, or a body that is held precious or real in any way, this may not sound like a big deal, but if you were born in a body that was positioned historically to be without sensation or personhood, then willing oneself into history is an arduous task.

I’ve only read 4 of these. I’ve got some reading to do!

dailydiggings:

Like music, the novel has been one of the primary ways through which the African Diaspora has captured and transmitted its cultural, spiritual and political history. More than just stories of individuals, the works listed below capture the zeitgeist of the times chronicled, while elevating…

(Source: kalamu.posterous.com)