Hey, I still do poems! I'll be dusting some of my very best off on Wednesday night at The World Stage in Leimert Park at 8:30 pm to share. I hope you're able to stop by! And the night isn't just all about mywork -- you can come early for the Anansi Writer's Workshop (perfect if you have some poetry or prose your working on and want to get feedback about) and/or stay later for the open mic (if you want to share a completed work or are just hungry to hear more).

There is the request of a $5 donation at the door.

The World Stage, in case you didn't know is a cultural institution in Los Angeles and a haven for black art, located in "The Harlem of L.A.", Leimert Park. It's an important place that has fostered some important work and it is always an honor for me to read there. I look forward to hopefully seeing you there.

4321 Degnan Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90008
7:30 pm - 10 pm

For details on future performances, events, and other fun stuff, be sure to check in at the home of all things Nikki Blak,  blakisbeautiful.comand follow me on all the social medias! You can also subscribe to me on Patreonand get your learn and burn [it down] on. I'll see you there.

Happy Black History Month! Just checking in to let you know about what's going on for the month of February and to give you something to look forward to besides constant shivers and general dreary weather.

This Monday, February 4th (Rosa Parks' birthday), I'm one of the featured poets at Poets and Allies in Altadena. I always love reading at this spot and would love it more if you would join me for a night of poetry, that is if you happen to be in the area. Details:

Sidewalk Cafe
7:30 PM – 10 PM
2057 N. Los Robles Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104

In other news, this month in Patreon, we will be discussing the ancestors -- mine, yours, er'body's. I'm really excited to get into this topic with the exploration of art, written work and other media and encourage you to jump in with me. If you have yet to subscribe now is the perfect time because it's only gonna get better and better from here. If you would rather not subscribe but just feel compelled support the important work that I'm doing to facilitate social change, create tools to disrupt and dismantle systems of oppression, and teach liberation through common sense and ethics, you're always welcome to make a one time contribution in any amount that you choose to paypal.me/BlakBirdPublishing.

All donations no matter how lavish or modest and patronage on any level is always greatly appreciated and simply ensures that I, a black woman, am not constantly producing knowledge and art and ultimately laboring for free. The more that I am able to be supported in my work with more than just applause and kind words (which are welcomed and valued), the more work I am able to produce. It would please the ancestors, indeed.

Speaking of pleasing the ancestors, if you want the shirt that I'm wearing and would like to support another woman of color, amazing artist, mama, and good friend of mine, go here, put one in your cart, check out, and be blessed. 

Because I Wonder What Brock Allen Turner's Dad Would Have Said if His Son Had Eaten Human Flesh for a Mere 20 Minutes

Cannibal Culture

He was hungry

So he ate her

Hey, you know

Boys will be

Carnivores

She said, “No.”

But it was only

One time

She should’ve

Done more to

Fight back

Her hands

Weren’t tied

She said, “No.”

But, she really

Meant, “Yes.”

Plus, it was after

He had already

Rooted his teeth

She left the house

Half dressed

What did she

Expect to happen

With the meatiest

Parts of her body

Exposed

These cattle

They ought to

Know better

These hens

Never seem

To learn their

Lesson

You know

These girls

Can’t make up

Their minds

You know

These girls

Can’t manage

Their wants

You know

These men

Have needs

You can’t

Hold his hand

And refuse to

Feed him

You can’t

Have culinary

Conversations

And then act

All shy

When he

Expects a feast

You went back

To his apartment

What did you think

Would happen?

You sat comfortably

At a set table

You willingly

Went into his kitchen

He was hungry

So he gorged himself

On her fat

Disemboweled her

Consumed contents

Of open cavity

Cupped hands

In shallow pool

Of pulsing wound

Drank until no more thirst

Chewed through muscle

Gnawed on tendons

Until incisors accosted

Bones

He video taped it

He took pictures of her

Dismembered

He told his friends

And they told him

That they had

Tasted human

Before

Ex-girl friends

Gone missing

Schoolmates

Neighbors and strangers

A pile of rotting remains

Who’s names

They barely remember

They were hungry

So they fed themselves

Hey, you know

Boys will be

Carnivores

Hey, you know

These whores

Cannot be built

Into housewives

You’d better

Burn down the building

And start from

The beginning

You know these

Women weren’t

Raised right

These single mothers

Don’t parent properly

You know these

Young girls

Are bold nowadays

You’ve seen these

10 year olds

Who look 18

How’s he supposed

To know

Who to bite

And who to keep his

Mouth away from

It’s impossible

You’re illogical

Stop being unreasonable

The Bible has you

Acting

Like you don’t want

To have your flesh

Torn from your bones

The Qu’ran has you

Thinking

There’s something

Wrong

With becoming

Remnants of meat

A man will pick

From between

His teeth

You think

You’re too good

To be consumed

You are stupid

To assume

A man will

Control his urges

It’s your

Responsibility

To keep him

Preoccupied

It’s your job

To convince him

You deserve

To keep your skin

Stay sober

In the company

Of male acquaintances

Stay out of the cars

Of men you know

Casually

Cover yourself

When you

Are the subject

Of his gaze

Stay out

Of bars

Parks

And alleyways

Don’t invite him

Over after the

Neighbors have

Lowered their blinds

Don’t travel

Where there is

No one to watch out

For you

You don’t know

What to do

In these situations

In this big, beasting

World

In these forests

Little Red,

He will rip the hood

From your head

And your scalp

From your skull

Right along with it

These women

Need to learn

Not to be a tease

Not be loose

Not to be bitches

Not to be rude,

Bitches,

Keep your pretty little

Knees

Together

You’d better

Smile

When he advances

When he compliments

When he whistles

When he howls

Don’t provoke him

He was born hungry

You know,

Boys will be greedy

©2013 Blakbird Publishing

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!

This is My "Valentine's Day" Post

This morning, I watched what I believe to be a neighbor's cat bat a little mouse around my driveway for a strong 30 minutes. The cat, who is a rascal (I've witnessed him pooping in my yard and I've caught him running away from a session of destroying some backyard plants) literally held this poor little mouse hostage. He tossed him up in the air, sat on him, laid on him, stood on him, bit him, and somehow, this mouse was still alive. The mouse would lie motionless for a while and when he likely thought it was his chance to escape, would try to scurry away, only to be pounced on, trampled, and tortured again.

I felt so bad watching it, I almost wanted to go out there and scare the cat away. But then, I figured, it was unlikely the mouse hadn't already sustained life threatening injuries. Plus, it was a mouse... I mean, really, Nikki. So, instead, I just hoped the cat would be merciful and just go ahead and eat the mouse and let it be over with. Because, obviously, the mouse was not going to get out of this alive.
The cat ended up moving the torture session to another part of my driveway that I couldn't see as well and eventually went over to the next door neighbor's lawn, and out of my sight. I think I may have seen him put the mouse in his mouth for a final time and not spit him back out. I'm not entirely sure. I got distracted and had to get on with the rest of my morning.

I thought about the significance of viewing this spectacle on Valentine's Day. I think it pretty much sums up everything quite nicely.
So, yeah.

Hey, so I'm gonna go ahead and release a new chapbook mid March. It's called "All My Exes Want Me Back" and it's about exactly who and what you think it's about. If you'd like to be the proud owner of a copy BEFORE the actual release date (which, by the way, is March 14th), then you can get your preorder on.

Preorder your copy of "All My Exes Want Me Back" at Blakisbeautiful.com.

The Lexus Verses and Flow Season 5 Premiere is But Hours Away

View image | gettyimages.com

Remember the time that I filmed an episode of Lexus Verses and Flow? Maybe you don't. Maybe I was quiet about it. My bad. Well, that's definitely a thing that happened. I spent a strong 12 or more hours away from my baby, which is a thing that hasn't happened since the Reconstruction Era, and I got to meet some sweet folk and say some lil' poems that I wrote. It was perfect. It was also a great honor to be invited to share my work and be amongst these poets. I hear that season 5 is something special and look forward to watching it. I hope you'll tune in as well. Lexus Verses and Flow Season 5 premieres on TV One on July 30th. Visit the Lexus Versus and Flow Facebook page for a sneak peek at the season and follow Lexus Versus and Flow on Twitter and Instagram for show updates, artist info, images, and other fun stuff.

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.

I'm a Part of This Year's Highway's Poetry Festival

It's my first feature since freedom [insert scarily excited face here]. I promise to do new poems. Plus the fact that I'm performing on the same stage as other artists that I have an immense amount of love and respect for is going to make me put on my good clothes.

The Highways Poetry Festival is a yearly event that consists of 2 nights of dynamic poetry and music. This year, there's a team poetry slam on Friday, 6/13 at 8 pm, hosted by birthday girl and slam monster, Simply Kat. If you want to have a poem of your own workshopped, or get some performance critiques and pointers, come early (5:30 pm, to be exact) on Saturday 6/14 and Chas Jackson and I will give you a sexy literary makeover. After that, we will perform the poems that make the whole world sing. Word to your mom.

In closing: Come enjoy some incredible art in an awesome performance space. You deserve it.

6/13 8PM
BATTLE FOR LA (TEAM SLAM)
Hosted by Simply Kat
$8

6/14 5:30 PM
THE COMPLIMENT SANDWICH WRITING/PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP

6/14 8 PM
POETRY SHOWCASE
Hosted by Judy Holiday
$8

Highways Performance Space
1651 18th St.
Santa Monica, CA 90404

100 Thousand Poets for Change at A Mic and Dim Lights

This Thursday, September 27th at A Mic and Dim Lights in Pomona, I will be performing along with a small but deadly gang of talented poets in 100 Thousand Poets for Change. It's a special night of poetry organized by David A. Romero in conjunction with the grassroots educational organization, 100 Thousand Poets for Change. The organization was originally conceived by Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion, as a worldwide set of events to take place either simultaneously or at different points throughout the year. Future plans for the organization involve raising funds to help poetry, music and other arts organizations world-wide organize peace and sustainability events.

The evening promises to be inspirational and memorable, thanks in part to an opening feature set from Mic and Dim Lights founder and host BessKepp and music provided by in house DJ, JB. I'm excited to be a part of this event and stand in solidarity with a diverse group of poets around the world, gathered to promote serious social, environmental, and political change. I hope you'll join us.

A Mic and Dim Lights Presents 100 Thousand Poets for Change

300 W. Second St. 

Pomona, CA 91766

Thursday Sept. 27, 2012

9pm

$3