December 08, 2021
Summer Camp Fieldtrip to the WaterparkMy white friend says you can’t swim, can you—as if she’s known the answer tothis question all her life—then changes the subject. Did you really wear a onepiece instead of a bikini? Before they unleash us into the park, the counselorstell us to follow the buddy system. But come on, the system is rigged. We knowwhich buddies will follow each other into the single-family restrooms, ...
November 30, 2021
WISE WOMAN Wise woman of Vermont, come out of the forest Assure me I won’t die lonely in these woods, show me How to keep owls out of my hair, tell me how To stack wood, to shoot trespassers, to seal the cracks In my heart to keep the ice out, promise me A catamount won’t think I’m food Make me a pot of venison stew While you describe what to expect during ...
November 16, 2021
the summer i added stars to my name wrong, maybe, she says she knows me. it’s been years and we love each other by ritual treats on the beach. lemonade with mint and roses. selfies and she tries to set me up with the waiter. i look queerer than last summer. she won’t say it, just look what you’ve done to your hair. auntie Nuha approves of my french. auntie Nuha says work on my arabic. sucks teeth at my ...
October 05, 2021
The Pleiades Visiting Writers Series proudly presents a virtual reading by award-winning poets and authors Shara McCallum and Kathryn Nuernberger. From Jamaica, and born to a Jamaican father and Venezuelan mother, Shara McCallum is the author of six books published in the US & UK, including No Ruined Stone (2021). McCallum was appointed the 2021-22 Penn State Laureate. During her tenure ...