Gemini Season 2024 and Upcoming Poetry Events
Touching on a few topics: my trip to Chicago, the CantoMundo poetry retreat, the Sundress Trans & Nonbinary retreat, and upcoming events to check out
Hullo friends,
Writing continues to be a strange and scary thing, even after all this writing, all these words, all this time. There is so much to say and yet…
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In any case, Gemini Season came and went, and it was very good to me and for that I’m so grateful.
I was able to go to Chicago, IL for a brief visit in mid-May. It’s been nearly a decade since the last time I was back, and so there was a strange dance with memory– all that I remembered, all that I couldn’t remember, and most interesting, all that I misremembered, all that I remembered that had changed. But the whole point was to see and spend time with old friends, and that I did. How lovely. How bittersweet, how often we lamented that it had been too long since we had last spoken. How amazing friendship is, that we all who have lived a decade of life apart could come together so easily, so seamlessly, like no time had passed at all. It just felt good to be in Chicago again, to have that familiarity with the city after all this time, and to know that the city still welcomes me warmly (literally, it was my first taste of summer when I went there, and I haven’t sweat so much, even since!).
Two weeks later, I had the opportunity to visit Phoenix/Tempe, AZ for the CantoMundo retreat. I was nervous about it for a bunch of reasons. I had been hearing concerning things about a similar organization (I personally call groups like that “guilds” but that’s just me) Kundiman and was wondering what would happen at this retreat, the first in 4 years after our own politics and reorganizing. But I felt well welcomed, I got a lot out of the experience, and I think I got to chat at least a little with most of the fellows individually. Someone had said that the sun slows you down here in the desert, and it was interesting to feel that heat. I am always so struck by the surprising beauty of the Southwest USA and indeed AZ’s beauty is different than CO’s but there is still a kind of kinship, I feel. Speaking of kinship, most importantly, I was heartened during the retreat by how often folks kept talking about Palestine, asking questions about statements, and writing letters to support students at ASU who are being denied their degrees after being arrested for protesting. (Here is an article I found, but definitely check out twitter for more info on how you also can write letters and support these students; also let me know if you would like a template– it’s super easy and takes like 10 minutes tops). Overall I felt so much gratitude and nourishment from that trip, even if so many things still remain uncertain about the org and the world at large.
A few weeks ago I got to be a workshop and craft talk facilitator for the Sundress Academy for the Arts Trans & Nonbinary Writers Retreat. I was feeling particularly anxious about the craft talk and venting to my sister about my anxiety about the talk. I was worried that procrastination would take me. She said, very casually, something like: “Of course you’re going to procrastinate, because you always do. And then you’ll get what you need done, because you always do.” It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but it was true, and remains true, much to my chagrin. Much like always, I OVERprepared, which I don’t like either– to me it’s best to feel like you got the right amount and not too much or too little. But I think things went well and I have a better idea of how to deliver a craft talk. Best of all anyway was being in community with a zoom room of trans and nonbinary people. The craft talk was about what I called The Poetics of Citation, but since giving the talk, I am currently more moved by the word “reference”. It was exploring ways in which we may already engage in reference, options toward referential experiments, and mostly, making more intentional and evident the ways in which we engage and reference other’s work within our own in an ethical and honorable manner. I would definitely love to return to this topic as a seminar series and/or a craft essay series.
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Overall though, I’ve truly been blessed with a number of opportunities to share poetry during the month of June, and the best part about all of these readings were being able to share words in spaces of mostly queer people, being in spaces of mostly Black people, being in spaces of mostly people who stand in solidarity with oppressed peoples, who stand against genocide.
I should also mention that it was my birthday on June 19th. All I wanted for my birthday this year was opportunities to share poetry, and so I was very much blessed with gifts this year. Still it was nice that my mom and my sister took me out to eat– I love them! It was also nice to received little messages and notes and calls from friends– thank you and I love y’all! I’m 32!
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So I have a few more events at the end of the month (aka the end of the week aka like 2 days from now) and I would like YOU, YES, *YOU* TO COME.
I hear you: “I don’t live in Denver.” Guess what? There are indeed virtual options, for YOU.
But especially for those of you reading this in Denver, the in-person events are all gonna be unique and special and I would love to see you there:
Slam Nuba featuring phaentompoet
What: Black & Brown centered open mic and feature, I’ll be performing a MUSICAL POETRY SET from my forthcoming poetry album PROPAGANDA; Where: Apprentice of Peace Youth Center in Denver, CO; When: Friday June 28, 2024
Why you want to come to this event: In case you didn’t know, I normally host Slam Nuba and have been hosting for some years now. I’ve never featured and so we figured my birthday month would be a great time to feature finally. Accompanied with my sister DJ Alisha B, I plan on sharing a set of poem-songs from my forthcoming project PROPAGANDA.
IF THERE IS ANY EVENT TO COME SEE ME AT, IT IS THIS ONE, PLEASE COME. IF YOU HAVE BEEN WANTING TO SEE ME FOR A WHILE BUT WONDERING WHICH EVENT TO GO TO, IT IS THIS ONE. PLEASE COME. YOU CAN GET TICKETS VIA EVENTBRITE NOW.ALSO NOTE THE LOCATION. It is at the AOY Youth Center rather than Redline this month.
Shades of Honey New Suns showcase
What: Black & Brown centered showcase, I’ll be the guest host for the evening ; Where: Creative Strategies for Change in Denver, CO; When: Saturday June 29, 2024
Why you want to come to this event: Shades of Honey is so special. More than an open mic/showcase, it is a gathering of community, a hub for meaningful exchange among black & brown folk and queer folk even though the space is open to all. Also, did I mention that I’m guest hosting? What an honor!
Listen to Your Skin online open mic
What: An online erotic/sensual/body-based writing open mic, I’ll be performing a set of poems about bodies and queerness, AND I’ll be co-featuring alongside jason b. crawford!!! ; Where: Your local Zoom room; When: Sunday June 30, 2024
Why you want to come to this event: it is virtual and free; it is an open mic so you can share your work; it is erotic themed and a queer-friendly space; the features are two black queer nonbinary poets; i’m gonna do a set of queer body poems! Seriously, it would be super cool to see you, and it is an open mic so you can share words as well! And if you wanna support but don’t wanna support, you can come thru and turn your mic and video off and just listen, that would be cool too.
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Poems forthcoming with Alocasia and Protean
Feels like it’s been a while since I’ve had a poem come out. I’ve been submitting less and getting rejected more, so not too many poems coming out. But I had two poems come out with Alocasia this week– one about my time at the Sundress residency and one about my grandma and my dad. "An Anti-Pastoral" and "Grandma Dolores Waters The Monstera"
The first poem is about my time at a residency. The residency itself was truly so great, but it reminded me that my relationship with nature is complex– the awe is awesome and awful. And a lot of that complexity is entangled within the ongoing histories of colonialism and slavery
I didn't want to just share my amazement at this beautiful usa southern landscape vis-a-vis pastoral poetry without also sharing my reality: modern distances, annoyances, frustrations, interruptions, and looming questions about circumstances/history/present/future.
It is also an attempt to enter into conversations about the form of “anti/pastoral” poetry, conversations carried by poems like this one by Vievee Francis (no relation, at least, not that I know of), or this one by Ariana Benson.
The second poem is about my dad and my grandma (my mom's mom) and what/how we choose to memorialize. Since her moving in with us, the monstera plant has sprouted so many new sprouts and leaves. The plant was gifted to us by a neighbor after my dad passed away. One time I noticed her watering it and was so captured by the moment that I wrote about it.
Just over a week ago she finished up her cancer radiation treatments, which were a whole task in and of themselves. I'm very glad she is still with us and in awe of her resilience, these past 6 months especially.
So I love that this poem arrives now, after everything. My mom mostly supports my poetry writing from a distance, but she actually read this one. consider reading this one if only because it has my mom's stamp of approval 😅
And then in some future I have a poem called “Preamble” coming out with Protean, a poem that uses state language/syntax and tugs at the logical conclusions of colonial language and state formations.
&&&&& if you know of any PACBI signing lit mags looking for poems, please let me know.
Okay that’s all I have for this newsletter. Feel free to share, and I hope I’m able to see you at any or all of these events this weekend. Thank you for reading!
P.S. As a treat to those who listen to audio, I’ve included my entire set from the last Punketry show that I recorded on my phone from a few weeks ago. The band is Black Market Translation featuring a bunch of other musicians on violin and flute and saxophones. So the audio might be kind of loud. But if I can say this about my own performance: it was fucking sick! Setlist: “Citizen” ; “Superlative” ; “Free Freeness” ; “Left To Fend”. So definitely check it out.