Pieces of a Man (EP) — A film of sweat veiled the weeping man’s forehead. He wondered if the clerk behind the desk or the other guests noticed him stumbling back through those automatic double doors. The hotel lobby’s floor was spinning now. Guess the liquor took and hooked its smooth golden grip into his leaping…

Pieces of a Man (EP) — early autumn sunbeams peaking through grey skies drop memories of her son’s vibrant poetry . . . “Did you hear me!? Are you listening!? Are we going to the park!?” Lil’ man and I had just dropped his mom off at work when he reminded me about playing on the…

I held on, for far too long, to the faith and community that kept me complacent. It was time to let go, to experience life without my safety net. — “Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has known it, the loss of all that gave one identity, the end of safety…” — James Baldwin, Nobody Knows My Name As I reflect on my past, the deathly fear of change remained a constant struggle. I had…

Reflections on the nature of poetry, my writing process, and finding my voice. — Four years ago, I switched up the market for my art. Four years ago, you could find me at a Busboys & Poets damn near every week. Four years ago, I would get on the Red Line with my phone barely charged, writing my next piece. But four years ago…

Pieces of a Man (EP) — Author’s Note: CHAPTER IV. as told by a Germantown griot is more than an ode to Germantown, Maryland. It’s an ode to the people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned from them. Every line is a brush stroke, painting a partial portrait of people bringing beauty among the pain.

. . . this piece is written pain and patient love making stained with purplish hues . . . what’s understood ain’t gotta be explained damn (damn) we fake f*ckin’. we fake safe havens. we say fake vague statements of love, and…

I wrote and recorded this piece in 2021, inspired by two things… Firstly, Afaa M. Weaver inspired the form of this poem. “the damage of denial” is a Bop poem. It’s a form created by Weaver during the ’97 Cave Canem summer retreat for Black poets. While looking for ways…

Bruh, thank you for writing this! 🙌🏾 I've been following your work since you left Relevant Mag, and it's encouraging to see where you're at now. Reading this also affirmed my own stance as an artist. I'm a poet who wrote pieces from that same "hard pill to swallow for non-Black people" place. During the 2020 protests, I had to ask myself the same questions you asked yourself: "what need our music meets for our listeners?" I realized I was hellbent on convincing racism deniers that I forgot all about myself and my community.

Can we truly attribute creative behavior to our genetic code? — Creative behavior is difficult to define yet fascinating to analyze. What do we mean by the word “creativity?” At times, we could be talking about a painter’s ability to produce powerful images using Earth’s raw materials. We could be referring to a writer’s ability to craft compelling narratives. How about…