For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday
Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals. He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.” … Continued
Palestine Week 2024
January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued
Conceived, born, raised and living black
I was conceived, born, raised and now have lived as a human being cast in black for almost seventy years. I’mo die black, too.
Everest Base Camp #13
Seeing is believing. I worry that I’ve seen too much. The beauty of everything around me can be overwhelming. I am in a constant state of awe. I worry about how the world will look when this ends in less than 10 days. For now, I am setting that worry aside and will cross that … Continued
Review of “There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce”
After all, what is art if it doesn’t bring you to tears and call upon your laughter in equal measure all in the course of a few lines?
“On D.C.’s U Street, can’t we all just swagger along?”
Owner Andy Shallal’s letter to the editor in the Washington Post in response to an article about “swagger jacking”