What are you working on?
In the poetry space? Not too much these days (though I’m supposed to be writing my first full-length collection). I’ve been pretty spread thin between a lot of community-based work. It’s been difficult to think about writing poems when the people I love are struggling to survive. But, that’s not a new phenomenon – there has always been suffering in the world, and poems have always been written. In many cases, these poems help us get by. But, I’m just at a point where it’s been tough to navigate doing both, especially given difficulties of community organizing mid-pandemic.
That said, something I’m really optimistic about is the work we’re doing here in the Detroit disability community to propose city charter revisions that will make the city more accessible. We are in coalition with so many other grassroots orgs ranging from people fighting for clean water to fair housing to eliminating surveillance, so I’m excited about the potential we have to improve things for everyone being left in the wake of certain, narrow “revitalization” efforts. Other than that, on the literary side of things, I’m transitioning in my role at The Offing to shift from work as an editor to helping build out the platform in more unique and impactful ways. The Offing has always been a necessary space for marginalized voices, but I’m excited to see how we can take things to the next level and build upon the successes of previous years.
But, most importantly, I’ve been working on myself and learning how to do a little less. There was a point where I was spread so thin between my full-time job and the time I volunteer as an organizer, that I wasn’t able to be my best self and would often find myself going through the motions. So, I’m learning to prioritize better so that I can get back to doing the work that sustains me, and in turn, the people I serve.
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