Doing so by way of looking outward at the world and inward at my experiences. A good dose of attention to art making, art experiencing, art criticism, and the creative life.
Stories of people and initiatives making their comes more beauitful.
“Lila” is something altogether different from her accomplishments in “Gilead.” Robinson still uses her great strength: vivid first person perspective, intimate details, and her lyric tone. But the language and pacing of Lila veers in a different, earthy direction, towards the genuine voice of a different economic class.
“Know My Name” is a book of reclamation, taking her life back from both rape and the justice system and owning her true name: Chanel Miller. A book with the immediacy of “Know My Name” deserved a cover that indicated its power. But with the original book cover, it’s too easy to continue not knowing Chanel Miller’s name.
“…There is only my English. And her English. And their English. And yours. You have created English in your mouth and hands just as all of us have done. English belongs as much to you as it does to me.”
Essay published in Issue 1 of DOMA, the literary journal of Fulbright Bulgaria.
