August 30 2016
Iowa, USA

World literature lecture notes (maybe)

1. A lot of my courage comes from my grief
2. This is my late grandmother Rita Sina Meredith
3. Talk about Brown Girls in Bright Red Lipstick
4. The greatest gift my grief has given me is the knowledge that my work doesn’t belong to me
5. My work belongs to my family and to my ancestors
6. At the time this photo was taken I was struggling with severe endometriosis while I was at university trying to find my voice
7. I didn’t find my voice alone I learned a lot from other women in the arts
8. My mother is my hero and the first poet I ever knew
9. This is her
10. I felt invincible being around other creative women of colour
11. This is where I found my power
12. We had a group show together early on
13. My work gained considerable traction and I found myself in Berlin on my first residency at 25
14. Interview with the BBC to 40 million people worldwide
15. Came home and got my hand malu
16. It represents total commitment to my community
17. Here I am writing in Budapest
18. Here I am with Paul Muldoon in Mexico
19. This is my Metro Magazine feature and that’s my greyhound Miles
20. Endpapers for my new book Tail of the Taniwha released earlier this month