Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Rachel's avatar

WOOHOO!!! Well-deserved!

I am reminded of this marvelous poem by Bobby Lefebre (forgive me if you already know it):

They invite me to a thing where the men in suits

all look the same, and they twirl and clink wine

glasses as the cheese sits next to the olives on

plates too small to fill anything but image—

everyone is secretly starting, and they laugh at

each other's jokes even though they are not

funny, they talk about golf and last quarter's

returns, and they ask me to read something that

is joyful and festive and celebratory, something

inspiring that will make people feel good about

gathering, but 50 migrants just died in a truck

at the border, and the Supreme Court is an active

shooter, and the police filled another Black man

with 60 holes, and I am not a typical poet, but

the elders have taught us that the job of an

artist is to reflect the times, so I get on that

stage and I do what I do the only way I know how,

and when I am done, someone tells me the position

of Poet Laureate is supposed to be apolitical,

and I say, "maybe it is, but I am not," and

sometimes, the only thing better than a standing

ovation is a room full of silence. A mentor once

told me that sometimes your job as an artist is

to be invited somewhere and ensure they never

invite you back.

Expand full comment
Antonia Malchik's avatar

So fucking awesome!!!

Expand full comment
224 more comments...

No posts