Questions on Poems from Aloud

“An Open Letter to Myself” Questions

What was the significance of saying “if it must be told the D train really fucked up my lower back and if it must be told make sure the Library of Congress is notified”? Why did you think it needed to be told?

 I am a poor. I am a woman. I am Black. And, I’m a lesbian. Talk about being at the bottom of every racial, socioeconomic, gender and class level. I wanted the world to know that we exist. I wanted the world to know that my story is important. I wanted the world to know that Nicole Breedlove will never be silent.

It was apparent that feelings of shame had a major role in this poem. What emotions were greater than this shame that fueled you to write this poem?

I would say anger. I was a very driven, angry young woman. I felt wronged by life. I didn’t ask to be gay. I didn’t ask to be poor. I didn’t ask to be Black. I didn’t ask to be a woman but ironically all those made me a much stronger person.

“‘There Must Be a Conspiracy’” Questions

What was the creative process in writing “There Must Be a Conspiracy”?

 When I was in college I joined some of the Black empowerment groups. I attended a couple of meetings and quickly realized that this Black group was solely focused on Black men. Black women had no role except to support whatever decisions Black men made. We did not have a voice. We did not have any struggles except the Black man’s struggle. We were lost in a movement that should have addressed our issues as well but refused to. This poem is the embodiment of that frustration.

What do you think the black woman’s role in society is today in comparison to the black man’s role? Do you believe these roles have changed since you first wrote this poem?

I believe in the past 25 years more Black women are the heads of their household which means they are the only breadwinners in their family. The Black man has taken a secondary role in the household and that’s not a good thing. I was blessed to have married parents that kept me on track but now, more families than ever before are headed by Black women. Where is the Black man?! And if there are good Black men, which I am often told when discussing this topic, then how come the good ones aren’t mentoring the bad ones?! All it takes for evil to thrive is silence.

“Front Page or Bust” Questions

Why do you think people prefer irrelevant stories about well known people? What led you to choose “irrelevance” as the final word used to describe these stories?

 Well I know when I feel like my life is spiraling out of control it’s comforting to know that even celebrities have the ability to be dysfunctional. They aren’t perfect.

Ending the poem with the word Irrelevant was a creative decision. Folks are dying at the hands of the police. Folks are trying to decide between paying the light bill and buying food. But, I need to be worried about some rich, white dude who failed his bar exam. Hold on while I get my violin and tissue.

Why do you think that these famous people are put on the front page of newspapers instead of the more important stories?

 Newspapers are a business and they know celebrities, rumors and gossip sells. Would you rather read about a rapper and the breakup with his long time girlfriend or read about protests and boycotts?! Many have difficult lives. If they are heading to their underpaying job they want to read fluff.  

Even though the headlining celebrity news was not as important as some of the less talked about events you had mentioned in the poem, do you believe that news had any significance? Should we take the title literally when you say “Front Page or Bust?” (Is it a bust if the more concerning stories do not make it to the front page?)

Good eye! Yes, It can be taken literally. But, it can also be taken differently. So either the paper failed to do their job in reporting more important stories or the paper or these celebrities aren’t important unless they make the front page.

How did you go about choosing these references for your poem? Were the events you chose intentional or did they just happen to be in the news when you started writing?

Everything  I recited actually happened. I was incensed that those stories were not being talked about or discussed. When I wrote the poem those things happened months prior without further mention but the story about the dude failing his exam was being followed up on.