Sowing Desire- Sojo's and My Poem on a Major City Mural

      Sowing Desire!  What an absolutely glorious day! Sojourner and I attended the dedication of a mural project we had been working on with  Mural Arts Philadelphia. Our poem is featured, with the stunning artwork of Priscilla Bell, Sheena Garcia, Wanda Payne and Pauline Houston McCall, on the Market St. wall of The Fresh Grocer, between 56th and 57th Streets- West Philly! Shout-out to Cathy Harris and Jane Golden of Mural Arts. Shout-out to Noah Smalls for being the genesis of this project. Shout-out to Karen Smith, Debra Wright and the Sistahs Laying Down of Hands Collective for blessing this event with the music of our ancestors. And a huge thanks to the management  of The Fresh Grocer.     

 Last week, the mother( in red), of one of my former students, saw the mural with the poem Sojo and I wrote on The Fresh Grocer Market wall,  which is in her neighborhood. She called me - most my parents have my number-so excited to tell me so. I taught her daughter in 2nd grade and her daughter is now going to 7th grade. Mom brought her and grandmother yesterday to the dedication of the mural - Sowing Desire. I do love what I am- a teacher - because it's all about building relationships and that is holy work as one of my Uber drivers, from Iran, once told me! 

To Live on Spring Forever

  Sojourner describes so well here the multilayers of needs supermarkets satisfy in our community and why this mural matters. We are so honored to have our poem featured on this mural, on the wall of a market that means so much to our folks. 

...by Sojourner Ahebee

   In the Philly, where I'm from, supermarkets aren't just places to shop for food -- they're vibrant community spaces you come to catch up with neighbors and care for one another. And as a child growing up in Philly, I was lucky to be raised by a community of southern women (my grandmother Sallie and my great aunt Lillian to be exact) who only ate fruits and veggies in season, who could turn any plot of land into lush abundance, who crushed grapes in their backyard for wine, who canned their spring produce so as to live on spring forever... I come from Black women who held their labor close, who worked to make a garden out of their desire. In other words, the poem and the mural are for all the Black women we know who've taught us a thing or two about ABUNDANCE, about making something out of nothing.

Walt Whitman Still Inspiring the Young- Whitman on Walls International Project

My wonderful students practicing yesterday for their evening performance of their poem, This is My City,  for the Walt Whitman on Walls project presented at the Venice Island Performing Arts Center. They will be sharing the stage with the great poets of their city. 

Thank you to all organizers of this project and participating poets: Karin Coonrod, of Yale's School of Drama and the Compagnia de’ Colombari  theatre,  Brooke Palma , Anthony Palma , Elijah Elijah B Pringle III , Sean Hanrahan , Alison Lubar,  Leah Jackson and David Kozinski.

Here is a link to the Philly Voice article about this event:  https://www.phillyvoice.com/walt-whitman-poetry-venice-island-performing-arts-center-manayunk/

May This Be a House of Joy

Poet Laureates Yolanda Wisher and Trapeta Mayson; Photo/Philly Magazine

Thank you to Yolanda Wisher and Trapeta Mayson for organizing a beautiful gathering of Philadelphia Black women and femme poets. Hosted at the Awbury Arboretum, this retreat was a day of cultivating joy through rest and pleasure.
After giving thanks to our Lenape sisters and brothers, the day consisted of literary walks, workshops, catered meals throughout the day, taking a historical group photo, double dutch, blowing bubbles and a poetry reading.

“May This be a House of Joy”
by Lucille Clifton

May this be a House of Joy.
May we be open here to dreams,
and to each other.

May all who enter in these magic walls
feel love and feel respect
for learning and each other.
May we be always friends to life.
May we walk in that friendship.

May learning live in this house.
May it never leave.

To learn more about this project read the following Philly Magazine article.

https://www.phillymag.com/things-to-do/2022/07/27/consensis-poets/