Get to know these TSW voices.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, TSW is sharing 10 poems written by Seventh Wave poets that we published across our past 16 issues. In this supercharged roundup, you’ll encounter poems that challenge the expectations of empire, pieces that reveal the realities of diasporic living, and poems that question various systems of oppression.
In times like these, when it can feel hard to parse truth from sensationalism, poetry can cut to the core of our lived experiences. Our hope in sharing these poems is that they will act as entry points for you to get to know some incredibly urgent, necessary talents within our TSW community.
Below, you’ll find work by the incomparable Monique Ouk, Daad Sharfi, Rebekkah Leigh LaBlue, Brian Dang, Sanam Sheriff, Nicole Orocho Hernández, Sarah Ghazal Ali, Kaya Arnoux, Ramya Ramana, and Sadia Hassan. Read and return to these voices often.
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ReadAffirmation • Learning How To Fish Again
The MagazineEvery poem I write opens with a parent. How else / do I bless the ones that birthed me?
ReadOn the Impossibility of Owning Lake Michigan • Animal
The Magazinein the beginning there were no lines no markers of where & what belong to whom / or why
Read[…lakeside…] Against Passivity
The MagazineFor the sake of this poem as / a citable document, I’ll name / just the one breath this time
ReadInstructions for a Child of an Assembly Line
The MagazineYou are younger than her labor for [redacted aircraft manufacturing company].
ReadThis Country is Motherless and Makes me Forget
The MagazineI am not. Two weeks or more since a call. To be in America, / You must see American, close your eyes and dream American
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Read“Other Names You Have Used Since Birth” • A 14-Year-Old Boy Visiting California
The Magazinea mouth began / in the south east corner / of the continent where / a tribe of teeth / once shared rice
Read“for brown girls who once considered themselves” and other poems
The Magazinein 2029, i wake up next to a stranger. / the word husband for us is like paprika — / it adds color.
Read“In the beginning I am not your body.” and other poems
The Magazine& so I hear / in the beginning I am not / 12 & I hear hips swinging a wide bridge / a chorus swelling in the bass / of my chest & I break
Throughout the year, you’ll continue to find pieces like this that celebrate our community of voices. If you’re looking for more poems that we’ve published over the past nine years, you can search our site via the “poetry” tag here.
Explore
We nurture and champion the voices of those dedicated to their craft.
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Read10 Black-focused retreats, workshops, & festivals
In celebration of Black History Month, TSW is sharing 10 Black-focused writing retreats, workshops, and festivals. -
Read10 TSW writers to read during Black History Month
In recognition of Black History Month, TSW is sharing 10 pieces written by Black writers over the past few issues.
