By Natalie “Lee” Arneson
These past couple weeks I had the pleasure to interview three local Black poets in the Pacific Northwest. During Black History Month, it is important to celebrate Black history as well as look to those in the Black community currently making history. It could be said that poets are some of the most important historians in our world, putting events and experiences in new perspectives needed to reflect on realities that are often difficult to take in. “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” — James Baldwin.
Rylee “Luc” Conn, she/her, age 21
Where in the PNW do you live/did you grow up in:
I live in West Olympia on the Evergreen campus, but I grew up in Eatonville, WA, a small town at the base of Mt. Rainier, and moved out at 19.
What does it mean to you to be a poet?
It means I can finally express my thoughts – I’m also a visual artist and found it extremely difficult to convey emotions through my art. Once I started writing poetry, it was like a lightbulb got flipped on in my head.
What inspires your work? How has the PNW & your community inspired your work?
A major part of my work is inspired by 2000s-2010s emo music, as strangely as that sounds. The band La Dispute is a major part of what inspires my poetry, specifically their unique word-usage and prose. I’ve spent hours listening to La Dispute songs trying to gain inspiration for my poetry.
The dramatic contrasts between the casual racism and performative activism in PNW cities (Seattle, PDX, Oly) and the in-your-face racism in the PNW’s rural areas have had a major effect on my upbringing and identity. My hometown was extremely racist, and as a queer black woman, but a black woman first, it SUCKED. My family were the first black people in my town for 30yrs, and it truly, truly showed.
In what ways does your identity influence your work as a poet?
Poetry felt like a place where I could finally pour all of these awful experiences into a single place. My struggles in life became less daunting but at the same time more credible on paper. It also feels nice to be in the same group as Maya Angelou and one of my favorite black poets – Mereba.
How has your poetry influenced your community–whether that be a small group of people or a larger part of the community?
I haven’t publicly shared my poetry long enough to truly say, but I genuinely hope I’ve influenced some of my own kinfolk – suppressed rural kiddos, queer kids, black kids, abused kids, mentally ill kiddos – to have a safe coping mechanism for those scary emotions they feel being in those situations.
Why do you believe poetry to be important, not just in your own life, but in the lives of others?
For all the reasons I say above: poetry, and art as a whole, gives my kinfolk better ways to express their emotions and fears, emotional outlets that aren’t substances. I went through many trials and tribulations as far as bad coping mechanisms go before I got to poetry, and writing poetry second, and I will always adore the art of poetry.
Here’s an excerpt from my poem “ode to my hometown”—
a bound loyalty to a hometown that welcomes you and only you,
a bound loyalty to threadbare flags baring those stars and bars,
a bound loyalty to bikini-clad girls with their perfect ivory skin,
and royal blue graduation caps thrown haphazardly in the air without a care
Ellie G., she/her, age 28
Where in the PNW do you live/did you grow up in:
I live in Eugene, OR
What does it mean to you to be a poet?
Poetry is an outlet for me. I have a lot of stress and bad luck. Poetry helps me get that frustration out and helps me to see if anyone else understands how I feel. I could also say it’s a form of communication. When people understand what I’m saying it’s like a weight lifted off my chest.
What inspires your work? How has the PNW & your community inspired your work?
Life inspires my work. A lot led up to me living in the PNW. I honestly had not taken my Poetry seriously for years until I got here. I entered this community alone. I didn’t know what to do and I fell on really hard times. Then, Roxy Allen convinced me to sign up for the slam at Spectrum Eugene. Suddenly I had my outlet back. It made starting over feel a little less daunting and a little less lonely.
In what ways does your identity influence your work as a poet?
Being black, neurodivergent and queer has always left me to search for an, understanding, intersection of those communities. When I write I try to explain how lonely I feel; while simultaneously calling out to my community. If you don’t fit somewhere in that intersection there’s no guarantee you will even understand my work. I’d say that’s more than a big influence.
How has your poetry influenced your community–whether that be a small group of people or a larger part of the community?
I don’t think my poetry has influenced anyone ever. The best I could say is that I was a performer for the Eugene/Springfield bail fund. We raised money to help people in need. So I’m proud to have been invited to participate.
Why do you believe poetry to be important, not just in your own life, but in the lives of others?
I think most of us seek understanding. That’s why we have our own sides of tiktok. Why we have different genres of music, tv shows, art, games, sports. It’s everywhere. I think it’s important for us to fill our lives with the things that feel right to our souls or consciousness. Poetry is just one of those things. It’s culture, it’s a form of communication.
Any last comments you wish to say?
This probably goes without saying but I can’t wait to go out to a slam again!
Please include a short poem of yours or an excerpt of one of your poems (if comfortable):
My mantra this morning is please don’t complain today.
It’s got to be called a mantra or it’s real identity, which is begging, is more likely to be revealed. Unfortunately this identity is just more to complain about.
Mostly because I remember a time where there wasn’t anything that made me complain like this.
There wasn’t anything tearing me down and making me wish the next morning would never come.
Maybe tomorrow mornings mantra will be “one day I’ll get back to that time.” The sun will be shining
My bills will be paid
And no one will try me
I’ll sip a cocktail with someone who makes me laugh.
And I’ll think to myself.
My mantra this morning is thank goodness I have nothing to complain about today.
Mahkyra Adoina Gaines, no pronouns, age 21
Where in the PNW did you live/did you group up:
I was born in Tacoma, Washington and graduated high school at Stadium. However, I was raised for most of my childhood in Citrus Springs, Florida.
What does it mean to you to be a poet?
Being a poet is multidimensional! Poetry has so many layers, rules, forms, and flows! Which is why, in my opinion, it is a popular art form. To be a poet, for me, is to be able to unveil the invisible. As a trauma informed artist, poetry can be a therapeutic process that can direct me towards acceptance, forgiveness, and a pure healthy outlet for RAGE. I manifest a space in my mind that has become so consumed by tempting siren calls beckoning me towards self-destruction and transform that ringing, with the power of poetry, to a soothing creek that has the power to heal all wounds. Poetry is my own fountain of youth to put it simply. It reminds me of my humanity and others humanity. It helps me compact a giant complex work into a few small sentences full of delicate and subtle details. As a poet, I regain the power to construct narrative, and nothing is more valuable than being able to tell stories.
What inspires your work? How has the PNW & your community inspired your work?
My professor María Isabel Morales has inspired my work to a great degree. She implements Historias (a combination of history and storytelling) into the classroom and transforms the academic space to one that advances the art of writing beyond western colonial traditions. I began to see writing, poetry, and art as a way to re-connect with my ancestors and cultural heritage lost due to the horrible systemic act of slavery. The PNW as a single entity has inspired my work because of the easy access to nature and water. Whenever I am at my most explosive with emotions, feeling as if I might combust with the weight of overwhelming thoughts and memories, I take a walk through the woods and sit with myself for a while. I root myself next to a flowing creek and find peace, if only for a temporary moment. This process of exploding, unraveling, and creation of new narrative is influenced by scenes I’ve witnessed in the wilderness here in the PNW.
In what ways does your identity influence your poetry?
My identities as a Queer-Trans Black Indigenous Person of Color (QT-BIPOC) are inherently interwoven within my writing and art. I see the world through this lens and there is no separating my identity from my work. To strip away my identities is equivalent to hearing the sides of your newly bought car being attacked by your driveways pointy hedges and branches. Not only does it decrease the car in value automatically, but you had to listen as the horrendous act happened and could do nothing as it happened. It’s traumatizing. Because of my identities I have a very unique, unheard, and undervalued perspective of the world that NEEDS to be voiced.
How has your poetry influenced your community–whether that be a small group of people or a larger part of the community?
I am not sure. I do not perform publicly that often. However, in classes where I am able to share in an intimate setting I receive common feedback that it is relatable to the other bipoc in class. Hearing that makes me feel connected and that what I am writing matters.
Why do you believe poetry to be important, not just in your own life, but in the lives of others?
It’s one of the most accessible forms of art and writing. All you need for poetry is your mind and perhaps a pencil/paper to document your craft. Various incarcerated folks use poetry as a way to either economically liberate themselves, mentally, or both. If they have access to the ‘outside world’, incarcerated people are able to use their voice as a way to share testimony of their lives. Poetry and its very popular cousin, rapping, have served to create opportunities for low-income black youth in a society that assumed them of deviation and stupidity. Either way the access to poetry and its importance lie in liberation.
Any last comments you wish to say?
Thanks for including me in this! I do not get to speak or reflect on how/why poetry is so important to me! I appreciate the time to do so!
Here is an expect from a W.I.P titled “ No one knows a Negro”
“I am a divine melanated being
Brought to you by a strike of lighting
Opening up a new gushy portal
Birthing a new cosmology
A new way of thought
A new way of life
No one can know this world like a negro knows this world
No one can see this world like a negro sees this world
No one can speak into this world like a negro can speak into this world
No one can touch this world like a negro can touch this world”
