Black Girl, they say you ain’t ‘posed to be here
Much of what twenty-first-century culture tells black girls they are not pretty: Don’t wear this; don’t smile at that. Don’t have an opinion; don’t dream big. And most of all, don’t love yourself. In response to such destructive ideas, internationally recognized poet Mahogany Browne challenges the conditioning of society by crafting an anthem of strength and magic undeniable in its bloom for all beautiful Black girls. She has traveled the world sharing her vision of Black Girl Magic, and now in collaboration with artist Jess X. Snow, presents her acclaimed tribute in a visual form.
Black Girl Magic is a journey from girlhood to womanhood and an invitation to readers to find magic in themselves. All ages! Available @ Barnesandnoble
Watch the performance video of the poem that inspired the book! While Mahogany L. Browne was coordinating the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam at New York’s Brooklyn campus of Pratt Institute, PBS NewsHour featured her poem, a Brief But Spectacular take on “Black Girl Magic” and the struggles facing African-American women in modern society.
Mahogany bridges the gap between lyrical poets and literary emcee. Browne has toured Germany, Amsterdam, England, Canada and recently Australia as 1/3 of the cultural arts exchange project Global Poetics. Her journalism work has been published in magazines Uptown, KING, XXL, The Source, Canada’s The Word and UK’s MOBO. Her poetry has been published in literary journals Pluck, Manhattanville Review, Muzzle, Union Station Mag, Literary Bohemian, Bestiary, Joint & The Feminist Wire. She is the co-editor of forthcoming anthology The Break Beat Poets: Black Girl Magic and chapbook collection Kissing Caskets (Yes Yes Books). She is an Urban Word NYC Artistic Director (as seen on HBO’s Brave New Voices), founder of Women Writers of Color Reading Room, Director of BLM@Pratt Programming and facilitates performance poetry and writing workshops throughout the country. Browne is also the publisher of Penmanship Books, the Nuyorican Poets Café Friday Night Slam curator and recent graduate of Pratt Institute MFA Writing & Activism program.
Check out the celebration of Black Girl Magic with Mahogany L. Browne and Ashley C. Ford (writer, editor, and host of the new BRIC TV show 112BK) for a reading, conversation, and book signing. Black Girl Magic will be available for purchase.
DATE, TIME, LOCATION
Thursday, January 25th, 2018 – 7Pm-9pm EST
@ BRIC 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
MORE INFO
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this amazing poet. I’ve shared moments and stages with this most powerful human being. We here at Nevahblackdown hold her in high esteem. In using her art, her words and her image she has empowered us and planted seeds that will surely grow into magnificent trees of wisdom!
NevahBlackDown 