Live Virtual Group Session: 12PM EST February 10th 2023

8 Comments

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this session!

For this session we read a poem “alternate names for black boys” by Danez Smith, posted below. 

Our prompt was: “Write a list of alternate names.”

More details will be posted on this session, so check back again!

Participants are warmly encouraged to share what you wrote below (“Leave a Reply”), to keep the conversation going here, bearing in mind that the blog of course is a public space where confidentiality is not assured.

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Please join us for our next session Monday February 13th at 6pm EST, with more times listed on our Live Virtual Group Sessions.

“alternate names for black boys”

1.   smoke above the burning bush

2.   archnemesis of summer night

3.   first son of soil

4.   coal awaiting spark & wind

5.   guilty until proven dead

6.   oil heavy starlight

7.   monster until proven ghost

8.   gone

9.   phoenix who forgets to un-ash

10. going, going, gone

11. gods of shovels & black veils

12. what once passed for kindling

13. fireworks at dawn

14. brilliant, shadow hued coral

15. (I thought to leave this blank

       but who am I to name us nothing?)

16. prayer who learned to bite & sprint

17. a mother’s joy & clutched breath

Credit: Poetry (March 2014)

poetryfoundation.org

8 thoughts on “Live Virtual Group Session: 12PM EST February 10th 2023”

  1. Rita B

    A list of alternate names
    Rita Basuray

    • Nice – Blossom, Joy, Sonny (Sunny?)
    o Ugly – Annakali (in India some dad’s called their 13th daughter – literally – Oh God Kali – not another daughter!)
    • Nice – Smith, Barber (son of the soil)
    o Ugly – Dalit (in India, one you can tread on, the lowest of the caste)
    • Nice – fair, princess
    o Ugly – darky, shorty
    • Where does it end?

    Like

    Reply
    • michele348

      Yes indeed, Rita, where does it end? Maybe only if we decide to judge an individual on that individual rather than collective name tags. We are each unique individuals, each created with special abilities and unfortunately, with some flaws. So we all have to work on those flaws.

      Like

      Reply
  2. michele348

    A list of alternate names for living in today’s world~~~

    1. raw
    2. jagged
    3. dark
    4. blinding
    5. combative
    6. biased
    7. puzzling
    8. sorrowful
    9. struggling
    10. noisy
    11. I think you get the point… the world, our society is somewhat messed up, searching for answers, but not knowing where to look
    12. APPENDIX… I look upward to the heavens and feel a calming balm flowing over my spirit

    Like

    Reply
    • al3793

      Michele, your speaker seems to know where to look. As I listened to your list I waited to hear where the speaker would take us, wending our way around and through the list of names presented. Andre

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  3. rehavia6

    Write a List of Alternate Names:
    The Inuit have over a hundred terms to describe snow.
    God is known by many names.
    A lover’s endearments
    How a mother addresses her child.
    A rainbow of words describing emotions.

    Like

    Reply
  4. al3793

    1. Hell fer certain creek – Heaven’s End Branch
    2. Greasy Creek – Slick Rock Branch
    3. Rooster Run – Hen House Fork
    4. Apple Orchard Branch – Elk Creek
    5. Bear Branch (8) – Steel Trap Fork (1)
    6. Big Fork – Little Fork
    7. Hurricane Creek – Sunny Creek
    8. Jacks Fork – Amy Branch
    9. Elisha Branch – Mathias Fork
    10. Thousand Sticks – Little Laurel
    11. Hurts Creek (I lived there) – Boiling Branch
    12. Owl’s Nest – Fox Run
    13. Blackey Creek – Preston Fork
    14. Ulysses Creek – Meeting House Branch
    15. Stone Creek – Mudlick Fork
    16. Bad Creek – Sassy’s Branch
    17. Wilder Run – Wolf Creek

    Like

    Reply

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