Poetry that speaks of home...
Concisely arresting and challenging the beliefs of family and the fantasies of tradition, the poems in Surviving Home show that home is a place that you endure rather than a place where you are nurtured. With unyielding cadence and unparalleled sadness and warmth, Katerina Canyon contemplates the prejudice and limitations buried in a person’s African American heritage: parents that seem to care for you with one hand and slap you with the other, the secret desires to be released from the daily burdens of life, as well as the surprising ways a child chooses to amuse herself. Finding resilience in the unexpected, this collection tears down the delicate facades of family.
Once upon a time I read poetry about as often as I drank water. I craved to get lost in the prose, always feeling the emotion so deeply behind the words. Reading poetry at that time ignited a flame in my own heart to write my own poetry, and some of my best writing was done during that time.
That feels like a lifetime ago and, as with the evolution of life, I found it increasingly difficult to either read or write poetry, and often opting to get lost in a novel instead. So, when I picked up Surviving Home it was almost like a sweet homecoming for me.
I was immediately hit with how powerful some of the prose are, many literally eliciting an actual ache in my heart, feeling truly touched by the author’s words Though much was hard to read, there was also such bitter truth, which I appreciated, the author showing such bravery and conviction. My mind's eye was bombarded with very vivid imagery and saw many of my own thoughts and emotions mirrored on the page, and I found myself getting lost in thought on multiple occasions, and even going back to reread certain passages, the meaning more and more brilliant with each read.
Though I enjoyed much of this book I have to say that I didn’t care for the topic of politics. I admire the author’s point of view, and actually agree with many of the points that she made, but I personally have never cared to discuss politics, and I found myself in these moments zoning out. Other than that I was in awe of her creativity in telling her story and feel so thankful that I was given the chance to read it. It’s definitely reminded me why I always loved poetry in my younger years, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Her first book of poetry, Changing the Lines, was released in August 2017. This work is a conversation between mother and daughter as they examine what it means to operate within the world as black women.
Katerina Canyon is a 2020 and 2019 Pushcart Prize Nominee. Her stories have been published in The New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Folks. Her poetry has been published in CatheXis Northwest, The Esthetic Apostle, Into the Void, Black Napkin, and Waxing & Waning. From 2000 to 2003, she served as the Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga. During that time, she started a poetry festival and ran several poetry readings. She has a B.A. in English, International Studies and Creative Writing from Saint Louis University and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Katerina moved to Seattle three years ago. She is currently running a civil rights campaign against police brutality. More information can be found at www.vdaycampaign.org.
Katerina’s latest book, Surviving Home, will be released in October 2021 published by Kelsay Books.
To learn more, go to https://www.poetickat.com/
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