Louder!

With just six weeks until my departure to Korea, I am eager to find a community of writers and spoken word artists. Though I have been a fan of spoken word for years, I am new to writing such poems.

The poem I am going to share surfaced for me as I moved through these past weeks of farewells and reflection. I started to formulate this piece shortly after the Twin Cities Dyke March. In addition to being moved by the collective action of marching and demanding justice, I was also disturbed by my internal dissonance of desiring to shout in solidarity, and my actual silence during the chants.

You can see me walking along around 2:30. Though looking fabulous, I am not making any noise.

I wrote this piece to push my voice out. This piece is written as a letter to a runaway named Jenny. I love letter writing and feel most able to express myself through this medium. As I push myself to be louder, I write this letter as a bridge to spoken word. As a note, I intentionally use the violent language in this piece as part of my healing process.

I am eager to develop this piece, in addition to others that have been bubbling up. I'll be attending the 2011 APIA Spoken Word and Poetry Summit, "Moving it Forward, Bringing it Back", as a learner and aspiring writer. Please share any additional resources and learning opportunities you may have.

Hello again!

Thanks for being patient with my launch. I have been taking time to re-energize and be present in my departure process from the United States. With only six weeks until I leave for Korea, I am going to start posting weekly. Since my last post, I left my position at Macalester College, purchased a one-way ticket to Busan, and bid farewell to chosen family and friends in Milwaukee and Madison, WI.

For now, I am continuing to say goodbye to loved ones in the United States. I am so grateful for all the energy that is being shared with me, particularly as I find myself more scared and uncertain about this next chapter. As part of this process, I am making time to read, write, and exercise. I would love to do this in community, so please let me know if you're interested in a summer book club or writing circle.

Here are my current readings:

Up next: I am eager to share the spoken word piece that I started working on right after the Twin Cities Dyke March, inspired by what came up for me with returning to Milwaukee, and with my present struggle to find the voice that has been lost during my years living in the United States.