The Evolution

Cutting across the registers of history, family, bigotry, love, loss, and race, the cycle of poems in The Evolution into 20 seeks to capture the into-the-world essence of youth and feminine consciousness. The work oscillates from such mediations on Etta James to Dionysius, from childhood innocence and holy naivete to the scrutiny of being a Black woman. The exploration into life forges spirit and identity made and remade in joy, suffering, discovery, and peace. The collection is a deeply personal and intimate work, but the very intimacy is all the same a transfigured universal experience sought to be shared with all.