I am processing through poetry. Both the experiences I’ve lived and the identities imposed are what guide me to this. I am acutely aware of the anti-fatness that exists all around, some of it subtle or disguised, most of it shameless. An understanding of these biases in film and television, two mediums I love, compels an alternative meaning-making: I read from people who see what I see, I write from my position.
I don’t believe in innovation that is disconnected from an understanding of who and what came before. I am curious about pattern and consequence, documenting the moment and cross-checking my records with history (ex. the racist roots of anti-fatness).
Simplicity is important to me. I communicate plainly because I am connecting to my reader through feelings. Because my mother, who speaks three languages with English as her third, cannot be excluded from my work since I am not separate from her. Beyond basic language barriers, the power of plainness is undeniable. It has served me well in bridging gaps across lines of difference.
I am always thinking about movies I’ve seen and books I’ve read, about that scene (!!), about that one line where he says (!!!).
I feel lucky, though, to say: I've only just begun.
