After nearly five years of writing and two years of serious querying, my first novel is complete! In addition, I am now being represented by Erin Clyburn at The Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.

“Personal Body Horror”, a poem of mine workshopped in 2018 at Cave Canem, was selected as a semifinalist for the Cid Pearlman home(Body) project. You can now read it online here.

I want to take you back to a time when twenty-something, broke ass Meg (me) made NSFW radio stories with Audio Smut (now @theheartradio.) This work has been re-imagined as the last of a 3 part summer series. Listen to Swelter: A Steam.

Listening to this for the first time after YEARS on my morning walk yesterday was a moment. At the time, a lover almost broke up with me due to the “disgusting” nature of this piece. Art-slut shaming, if you will. I avoided it for years until the bad feelings from that interaction and conversation became the only feelings I had left about producing the work. Was it terrible? Was I terrible? Did my words hurt people?

Thanks to The Heart for unearthing this tome and giving it new life. I have deep love in my own heart for all those rad radio babes for ever and ever. Below are a few blasts from that very specific and wonderful past, when I gallivanted around NYC with two friends and a microphone.

Meg Frances and Kaitlin Prest at the 2012 Cinekink Awards in NYC.

Mitra Kaboli and Kaitlin Prest discussing important radio shit over a delicate breakfast.

Here’s a filmed performance of the only new thing I’ve written while at home during this pandemic. Thanks to We the Women Collective for accepting my submission for A Digital Wake. Special big googly eyed thanks to Real Clothes (aka Nico Fox) for being open to last minute collaboration on creating a custom loop of music for this project. A description of the motivation for this piece is below. Enjoy! Stay home and do art.

About This Poem

Livid Lineage was written April 3, 2020 during the rise of Covid cases in NYC. It is an exploration of issues I often grapple with within the new context of this pandemic. Mainly, how generational trauma informs the present/future lives of Black people and how internalized narratives of gender destiny further complicate that. Dark humor is a salve; I staged my performance to be as low-fi and personal as possible within my apt’s hallway. I wanted to obscure the fact that I was reading from my phone by making it the only source of light. I draped myself in a soft black cape because drama. I duplicated the ending shot to mimic the current mood of an endless daily routine. I sent the poem to Nico Fox who performs under the name Real Clothes. I love her music, it’s dark and dreamy. She created a custom loop of music and named it “Blood of My Troubles”, after a line in my poem. It was nice to collaborate virtually and I hope this poem resonates with you all!

 

This event was held Sunday, February 23rd at 🔮 Cult Party 🔮 in Brooklyn and was organized by writer and educator Dianca London Potts.

Audre was with us, was cast upon the wall via a projector.

Music played while we created candles with her image and her words. Plus, lots of glitter.

Readings followed with Audre’s works expressed alongside our own poems and journal entries. It was a powerful evening.

 

Take Some Into The Mouth

A steamy story of two reckless 20 somethings trying to get laid on the regular in Brooklyn. I read this for the first time IRL (outside of my writing group) at The New Women’s Space on Friday, January 24th. Click the link above and enjoy!

Hey go read a story I’ve been trying to place for YEARS out today in the Spring 2019 issue of the The Chachalaca Review now!

 

 

 

By explicit request, a woman of color living in the UK gave voice to my work in my stead. As I could not fly out to London for the release party of a book featuring my words, its creator fulfilled my desire to have my work presented by an avatar. In the video below, Indunee read aloud Totemism, one of two poems that were recently included in the anthology, LOVE LIKE SALT.

 

 

On Saturday 6/15, Las Odiosas brought back a new batch of solid panelists for their second zine event. Wise words were shared concerning boundaries, bodily autonomy, sex, relationships, sex work, finding/taking your own reparations, healing from family induced sexual/body shame, moving on after sex based violence/trauma, and creating/sustaining “alternative” communities that center WOC. Below is a poem of mine that was featured in this second issue. It was written after the last election and concerns my inability to enthusiastically join the mainstream women’s march and my few lines surrounding who gets to speak up for whom. I wore a tounge in cheek all pink look to the event 👿

Two of my poems, Sanguine Rose and Totemism, have been included in the anthology, LOVE LIKE SALT. This collection is the dissertation of Amy Byrne, a student of literature and English at Manchester Metropolitan University. The project is described by her as “a poetry anthology that revolves around human interactions and encounters in our modern society’. Sadly, I could not attend the public launch in Manchester but will post a video of an IRL avatar reading on my behalf soon.