Thoughts after visiting Mills College
Writing is an elitist practice.
— Ajuan Mance
The Poets of Color class I sat in at Mills College was one of the most uplifting, exciting, and intellectually rigorous discussions I’ve experienced, and now that I’m back in Charleston, mulling over so many things and thoughts that conquered my mind this week, I realize over and over how true her statement is. Writing is an elitist practice, and to say otherwise is to forget the privilege we hold as observers, passersby, and recorders of history. Mills makes me incredibly excited to follow down this path so foreign to me and my family, but it also makes me wary of my privilege. I have a lot of work to do, and though the burden of representation is a constructed myth, it’s still one that’s viable and ever present. What makes me so lucky is that there’s a hub of writers in the Bay who are concerned with writing, recording, the voices of the marginalized, and I can’t wait to be a part of this community. We have a lot of work to do, but I believe we can do this—if not alone then together.
I have this idea that the Mills vibe is very much a VONA vibe. How wonderful that you’ll be able to steep yourself in that on a daily basis!