Last night’s Burn the Mic event at the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning was a wonderful evening of poetry. Kevin Nance was the featured author, sharing work from his latest collection, Smoke, published by Accents Publishing. His poems were compelling throughout, but the ones that stayed with me most were those drawn from his relationship with his father and his childhood.
I also had the chance to read some of my latest “protest poetry” — a form I’ve grown deeply invested in, both for the research it demands and the way it lets me channel my thoughts and feelings into something purposeful. Protest poetry confronts social injustice, challenges the status quo, and calls for change, often through free verse that strips away formal convention in favor of something rawer and more direct.
On Thursday, March 26, beginning at 5:30 pm, I’ll be back at the Carnegie Center for a conversation with writer and Vietnam War veteran Peter Berres. We’ll be discussing my award-winning investigative memoir, Because: A CIA Coverup and A Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, in celebration of National Vietnam Veterans Day on March 30, with a focus on multigenerational trauma. A Likely Story bookstore will be on hand with copies available for purchase.
James B. Wells 