New Interrupting Racism Workshop: I Own Myself

There's a new Interrupting Racism workshop coming up Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 1pm PST/4pm EST. Ebony Janice of The Free People Project​ and I will be discussing black women's body ownership and providing some language for discussing ways we give and take ownership of ourselves to others. Sensuality, esteem, religion, patriarchy, media... All of these topics will be addressed. We hope that you will join us then and tell a friend. RSVP at thefreepeopleproject@gmail.com.

I'm Actually Gonna Leave My House This Weekend! And Next Week, Too!

I've got the nerve to have things to do this weekend! Apparently, I think I'm grown. You can have the nerve to have some things to do, too! Let's do them together.

On Saturday (that's tomorrow) I'll be reading in the 1:15 pm Poets and Allies set at LitFest Pasadena in the Zona Rosa alley. There will be other amazing poets there as well. If you're in the area, come and see us! Come and say, "Hi". The entire day is FREE and takes place all over the Pasadena Playhouse District. There's even a Octavia Butler  & Afro Futerism presentation at 11 am that sadly I won't be able to go to because my 2 year old has dance class. Bring yourselves out and enjoy!

Also, if you're free on Monday night, I'll be a featured poet at Poets and Allies, which is a reading that also takes place in the lovely city of Pasadena. It starts at 7 pm and is also FREE. It will be taking place at the Sidewalk Cafe which is located at 2057 N. Los Robles, Pasadena CA 91104. I'd love to see your face!

In other, not necessarily poetry related goings ons, you may or may not have heard that Black Lives Matters Activist Jasmine Richards was tried and found guilty of felony lynching. Yeah, you read that right... FELONY LYNCHING. So, here we have a clear case of the criminal justice system being used as a weapon against activists. This is not a new phenomenon, however Jasmine has become the first political prisoner of the Black Lives Matters movement. In an effort to support her and send a clear message to the powers that be regarding the mishandling of the law and false imprisonment of Jasmine Richards, I encourage you to sign this petition and if you're able, attend her sentencing on Tuesday, June 7th in Pasadena (damn, Pasadena is lit!). The hearing will take place at 8 am at 300 E. Walnut Street. The objective is to pack the courthouse.

Also, Tuesday is the Primary, so if you're in California and registered to vote, do yo' thang.

I think that's about it for right now. If I don't see you in the next few days, I certainly hope to in the future. As always, keep up with me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. If you haven't already gotten your copy of All My Exes Want Me Back, Uppity Negress, or the classic Five Three and Rising, you can fix that situation at blakisbeautiful.com. Oh, and did you know that you can sign up for my email list? Yeah, shawty! Do the damn thang, right 'chea:

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Alright, be good and take care of yourself!

White America Does Not Want to See a Zombie Apocalypse (Video)

You all have Mahogany L. Browne to thank for the fact that this video exists. I wrote the poem and was just going to be done with it. But she told me to record it to be a part of an incredible collection of poems and a movement known as "Black Poets Speak Out". I respect my elders and try to be obedient when I can, so the next day, I recorded  this hours old poem. Shout out to my husband, who wanted to do a two camera set up and take on the task of editing the footage. Shout out to my 14 month old Rosie, who proceeded to act like a certified lunatic the moment we began filming and therefore thwarted those plans. Shout out to the pair of them, for taking a quick neighborhood walk in the rain so that I may present this poem to you without a 30 lbs human perched atop my head, shrieking. Here it is: White America Does Not Want to See a Zombie Apocalypse.