Writer and Poet Tallie Stops by TAMIU

At the beginning of February, Dr. Israel Peniel kicked off Black History Month with his own celebration one day after Rosa Park's 100th birthday. As this short month winds down, it was the Writing Center's turn to contribute to this celebration; their weapon of choice was bringing author and poet Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie to the Student Center Theater on Feb. 20, to talk about her craft and provide both poetry readings and a book signing for her poetry book entitled "Karma's Footsteps."

Although it was her first time in the state of Texas, Tallie came with an undeniable confidence. The New York native opened up with a video, which was made by a film student at the time. It chronicled Tallie's travelings and explored her feelings on foreign customs, particularly the Dutch Zwarte Piet. Translated, this means Black Peter, and this character serves as Santa's companion during the holidays. People would paint their faces with black paint and it reminded Tallie of the way Hollywood used to do the same during the Civil Rights Movement since they wouldn't allow African Americans on TV. Tallie used her poems and writing as the main medium to express her feelings because communicating her struggles with locals wasn't received very well. The video showcased many of her poems, paired with powerful instrumentals playing in the background.

The rest of the presentation was used as more of a question and answer type of interaction between students and Tallie. She read a series of letters she has been working on which she has titled "Letters to Continuum." She read three of those letters and asked for questions between each one.

These "Letters to Continuum" had no specific audience: Tallie described Continuum as her "imaginary friend." She said this was her way of reaching out to anyone who would want to take writing seriously, and this exercise was an opportunity to exercise her child-like imagination. "When you're an artist, you get to be a kid a lot. Then you start editing and you gotta [sic] grow up." Although she only read three letters, they covered a lot of topics. The first letter dealt with the questions about the purpose of writing. She opened up with a beautiful quote by James Baldwin that read, "For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it must be heard. There isn't any other tale to tell, it's the only light we've got in all this darkness." The letter answered a lot of questions about what a writer is, what is their purpose, and how each writer can find their own purpose. She mentioned her influences and how they shaped her work and said, "when my work is not celebrating something, it's baring witness to pain and to the process of healing, which is a celebration of another kind [resilience]." She stressed for writers to find their own voice and to not be afraid to use it.

The second letter centralized around the theme of what separates a journal from poetry, parental reactions, and reading. It also touched on the issue that many writers face which includes the misconceptions about writing not being a reliable occupation, and emphasized how parents' reaction is coming from a good place. She clarified that if you want to be a writer, your parents want to make sure you can have a roof over your head. Tallie then pushed writers to go the extra step and read, read, read. She mentioned how she "wouldn't go to a doctor who didn't study medicine or a lawyer who didn't study law," so she encourages future poets to study poetry.

The third letter was a powerhouse of proclamations and the general atmosphere was one full of laughs and interest. The whole room was abuzz with questions and there were also many fans after the show. Her presence was strong, yet humble. In fact, all of the copies of "Karma's Footprints" sold out after the session without her even mentioning it. The prevalent themes in this collection of poetry include feminism and black oppression, among a few others.

Tallie was able to stop by Dr. Bishop's Nonfiction Prose class before her reading that same night in an attempt to mingle with students. She is also currently an adjunct lecturer at CUNY New York.

All these events were free and open to the public. For more information on Tallie or to watch her video, you can go to http://ekeretallie.wordpress.com/invite-ekere or http://vimeo.com/26715816. You can also purchase her book on Amazon.

(Michelle Rubio may be reached at michellerubio@dusty.tamiu.edu)