In 2021, I embarked on what was supposed to be a 12-month sabbatical to breathe life into a new poetry book. Two years after extending the sabbatical to a reflective 14 months, my poetic journey yielded a project close to my heart—my chapbook, Thick Black Lines. When I initially set out, I intended to craft a full-length poetry book. However, the creative process had different plans, teaching me valuable lessons about art, patience, and the profound role of the artist as a vessel. Traveling through the arid deserts of Arizona, the vibrant seas of Curaçao, and the historic tapestries of Washington, D.C., I absorbed the beauty of oceans, seas, trees, art, landscapes, people, and stories, each moment etching its mark on my creative soul.
Oh, the Places I’ll Go!
Embarking on my sabbatical, the red hues of the Arizona landscape stirred my creativity. Sedona, Scottsdale, and Phoenix became my poetic sanctuaries, where the vast mountains whispered stories and saguaro cacti stood as silent composers under the desert sun. From the arid Southwest, I found myself surrounded by the rhythmic beats of the Caribbean in the Dominican Republic. The vibrant culture, azure waters, and the warmth of the people infused my verses with a newfound energy. A pause in the journey led me to the southernmost point of the U.S. – Key West, to the Studios of Key West. As the sun dipped below the horizon, the tranquil island ambiance and the whispers of the spirits of the enslaved peoples buried at Higgs Beach fueled my contemplations on life and the Black experience in America.
Moving north, the rich history, academic ambiance, and legacy of literary giants in Amherst and Boston awakened a new depth in my poetry, painting verses with intellectual tones. The picturesque landscapes of Cape Cod offered a serene backdrop for introspection. The ebb and flow of the Atlantic inspired verses that danced with the rhythm of the tides. Amidst the urban hustle of Providence and the artistic pulse of Washington, D.C., I found a symphony of city life. Museums and monuments became metaphors, and the cacophony of voices inspired verses that mirrored the heartbeat of a nation. The brilliant colors of Curaçao's architecture and the crystalline waters provided a vivid palette for my words. Each alleyway and beach became a canvas for poetic expression, capturing the essence of this Caribbean gem.
Good Things Take Time
Early on, it became apparent that this project wasn't one to be rushed. The poems themselves became my guides, asserting their authority over the timeline. In this realization, I discovered that the essence of the work demanded a chapbook format—compact yet potent, allowing each verse to breathe with intention. The journey of creating "Thick Black Lines" illuminated a sentiment often shared among poets—the artist is a vessel for the art. This surrender to the creative process became a liberating and enlightening aspect of my artistic evolution. "Thick Black Lines" emerged as a labor of love, a testament to the emotional landscapes traversed during the sabbatical. The chapbook's focus extends to Black people's experiences, with a particular emphasis on the nuanced perspectives of Black women. Themes of race relations in the pandemic years, grief and loss, and systemic oppression are interwoven throughout the verses, creating a tapestry of shared experiences.
Thick Black Lines
Finishing Line Press released Thick Black Lines on June 28, 2024. The journey from concept to publication was insightful. You can read more about that journey at https://www.christieanncruise.com/blog. Thick Black Lines is more than a collection of poems; it's a reflection of shared humanity, a mirror held up to the complexities of our world. The synopsis on Amazon.com reads:
"Thick Black Lines discusses themes of grief and loss, policing Black bodies, and gentrification and colonization. Divided into three sections named for the book's title, Thick Black Lines quickly grabs the reader's attention with poems like Depression Be Like and While You Were Judging Me for Being Fat in the first section, Thick, which explores "heavy" topics such as mental health and sexual abuse. Black grapples with topics related to contemporary social justice issues that specifically impact Black people with poems like When Karens Cry and Attacking Critical Race Theory Won't Make Me Forget. Lines focuses on poems that reflect the effects of colonization and gentrification with poems like Bodies That Know Boxes and Suffer Little Children, which uses ekphrasis to describe Marion Palfi's black and white photo, Detroit, Paradise Valley. Thick Black Lines masterfully blends contemporary social concerns with historical context and poetry to create a chapbook that challenges readers to think critically about our most pressing societal issues."
I invite you to embark on your journey through Thick Black Lines!
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