I suggest that the poets don’t hide. That they scream. That they confront. That they bellow and resist.
–Patricia Smith
What She Said, June 26: Patricia Smith
What She Said, June 25: Ntozake Shange
Where there is a woman there is magic.
–Ntozake Shange
What She Said, June 24: June Jordan
To begin is no more agony than opening your hand.
–June Jordan
Desperately Seeking Advice
I have always been a sucker for advice columns. I began reading “Dear Abby” as a child. The column could be found on the same page as the comics, crossword puzzle, and […]
What She Said, June 23: Camille Dungy
A person who isn’t reminded several times a day about the implications of the color of her skin has time to consider the implications of other things.
–Camille Dungy
What She Said, June 22: Sandra Cisneros
We’re going to right the world and live.
–Sandra Cisneros
How Can We Use Social Media Better?
During the Black Lives Matter protests immediately after the killing of George Floyd, I was posting much, much less on social media than I’m used to. Normally, I post at least once […]
What She Said, June 14: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
I think the history of western feminism is fraught with racism, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that and, at the same time, to say that feminism is not a western invention, that my great-grandmother in what is now south-western Nigeria is feminist.
–Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
What She Said, June 13: Roxane Gay
To have privilege in one or more areas does not mean you are wholly privileged. Surrendering to the acceptance of privilege is difficult, but it is really all that is expected . . . the acknowledgement of my privilege is not a denial of ways I have been and am marginalized, the ways I have suffered.
–Roxane Gay
What She Said, June 12: Jesmyn Ward
Protests and looting naturally capture attention. But the real rage smolders in meetings . . .
white rage doesn’t have to take to the streets and face rubber bullets to be heard. Instead, white rage has access to the courts, police, legislatures, and governors, who cast its efforts as noble . . .
–Jesmyn Ward
The Gloria Sirens 