"the patron saint of suicide" in Cola Literary Review

I am proud that my poem “the patron saint of suicide” has been published in Cola Literary Review. You can purcahse a copy here.

This poem is based on the vastly superior poem “Googling the Patron Saint of Suicides” by the amazing Joan Kwon Glass and has a place in my forthcoming chapbook said the Frog to the scorpion from Harbor Editions.

Type Casting in ASP Bulletin

“That’s some white people shit.”

“What?”

“Were all of the people who thought you were gay white?”

“It’s not that they thought I was gay exactly…”

“Not straight. Whatever. Were all of them white?”

“No.” I mentally scroll through faces and races. “Yes?”

“See? You don’t fit their Black-Man stereotype, other than dating white women…”

“Hey…”

“Whatever nigga: you do you. I’m just saying you don’t fit their image of what a Black man is ‘supposed’ to be. You’re not some overly masculine thug, sitting on a stoop, rocking a durag and sipping a 40. A sensitive and educated Black man, who works with kids seems femme to them. So, they assume you’re not straight.”

“No, V. That can’t be it.”

It was.

CLICK BELOW TO READ THE REST OF THE STORY

Two Poems in Cultural Daily

Thanks to Bunkong Tuon for supporting my work with his students at Union College ) and for turning me on to Cultural Daily, which just published two of my poems.

Click to Read “when asked to read a poem for the Black History Month assembly”—which was actually written for a Black History Month assembly— and “thank you, systemic racism”

 

Also check out “an open letter to the white boy from queens who sang the n-word in a song” by Denesha Lafontant, also at Cultural Daily, which pays homage to my poems. #flattered

"Inscrutable": creative nonfiction in Redivider

I am honored that “Inscrutable,” a story I wrote for/about my AAPI students in response to the Atlanta Spa Shootings, was published by Redivider as their inagural Cultural Critique piece.
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Redivider 20.1 | Cover art — Tea Queen by Aaron Norfolk

He knows the myth, but he is the model minority. The all-around A-student: attentive, astute, Asian. He’s good at math and science, but also garners excellent grades and respect in my sophomore honors English class. He’s soft spoken, but thoughtful. So as the others call out, he raises his hand and waits patiently. When I acknowledge that he will be next, he lowers it back to his desk, places the other over a delicate wrist. When he does speak, on an average Wednesday, I will swear in front of a class for the first time in twenty years of teaching.

"when asked what I learned during the ‘community forum’ on the appropriateness of my poem" in Bending Genres.

My poem "when asked what I learned during the ‘community forum’ on the appropriateness of my poem" has been published in Issue 30 of Bending Genres.

It’s not a typical poem. It’s a bingo board: I was trying something new.

Note: You may wish to read “when asked how to avoid being seen as racist” for context.

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“when asked how to avoid being seen as racist” at Identity Theory
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Interview with My Bad Poetry Podcast

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A podcast where I (painfully) discussed some of the very first poems I wrote in college. Heaven help us all.

You can read the poems discussed —"musing,” “she says it’s only in my head,” & “(at) fireworks on the 7th" — below.

As I mention in the podcast, there is a good chance that some people reading these are mentioned in the poems. Sorry about that.

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the Colored page on the Kickstart Farmington blog

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In his blog post “Art in the Roots, #6: Captains and Pilots,” Mitch Nobis reflects on how the political is always with us in all areas of life including, especially, education.

My poetry the Colored page is a part of those reflections.

More from the same good people

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Reading & Interview with Mitch Nobis an Wednesday Night Sessions