If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved,
the inquisition might have let him alone.
— Thomas Hardy
Succeed and Soar’s Authors Speak series invites writers to answer questions about their artforms and special inspirations.
Welcome Yona Harvey
What phrase inspires your writing and life?
Twenty-four brand new hours are before me [s/he].
I vow to live fully in each moment
and to look at all beings with the eyes of compassion.”
How have these words helped your writing, your life?
How did these words inspire You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love?
Thich Nhat Hanh’s words help my writing and life because they keep me grounded. They remind me to focus on what’s important and meaningful to write about, on what my ancestors sacrificed so I could write, on what The Divine has called me to do (rather than worrying about what everyone else is doing).
Living fully in each moment allows me to write without feeling censored, without worries about publishing, without worries about criticism. I honor the words that come in the present moment. All while having a sense of humor!
Sample Text:
“I was seduced by the independence of his mind”
after Bahiana by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier
You never wear cologne. You give
& you give & you give & you give.
& they take from you.That’s their business.
You are mine. Or so you say
with a wink. I want to tell that stupid girl
to shut the hell up about the sonnet.
But you shrug. Just a girl, you say.
You once saw seabirds in her
skirt, a blue, irregular outline,
a neglected island. & anyway, cologne
is for boys who need a hint. Just don’t
tell their young lovers too soon. Give them
the feathered headdresses & coconuts they imagine,
the little trees that bear chocolate fruit.
Reviews:
You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love is available at:
About Yona Harvey
Yona Harvey’s first poetry book, Hemming the Water, won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award from Claremont Graduate University. She is among the first black women writers for Marvel Comics and earned an Eisner Award for her contribution to World of Wakanda.
Yona co-authored Black Panther and The Crew with Ta-Nehisi Coates. She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts where she is the Tammis Day Professor of Poetry at Smith College..
Web Site: www.yonaharvey.com
Keep in mind,
Succeed and Soar!
Sandra Gould Ford
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