“In grad school, a friend and I gave ourselves the task of writing poems in the voice of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga after they did the collaboration for "Telephone." I just kind of kept going. That was quite a while ago - Beyoncé meant something very different then than she does now.” WritingKindDoeDifferentSchoolVoiceTasksCollaborationTelephonesGagaGradWriting PoemsGrad School Author:Morgan Parker
“It's been interesting to look back on those works [I've done previously] and see all the things that Beyoncé has done and become for us in the meantime, because back then, folks were like, "Why Beyoncé? I don't get why she is kind of the symbol for black womanhood."” LooksKindDoneBlackInterestingFolksSymbolsWomanhoodBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
“There was something about Beyoncé that felt like a vessel, I guess, that I could kind of impose all of these feelings and thoughts onto. I was drawn to a little bit of a dichotomy between the glamour and celebrity and the very deep and complex legacy of black women, and what that means in terms of performance.” KindMeanLittlesFeelingsFeltBitsBlackTermLittle BitPerformancesComplexesLegacyBlack WomenVesselGlamourVery DeepDichotomy Author:Morgan Parker
“I think that fear came from, "Okay, I'm going to have Beyoncé in the title, and people are just going to think, it's Beyoncé poems. It's light and fun." I was kind of super-conscious of that. It's kind of like this weird trick I'm playing, where you're like, "What an interesting, fun cover, and then the name Beyoncé." Then you open it, and it's just about my depression. All of it belongs together.” PeopleThinkingKindLightTogetherNamesFunInterestingConsciousOkayTricksTitles Author:Morgan Parker
“So much of my writing process is trying to eliminate any kind of shame or fear of the thoughts that I'm having.” WritingTryingKindProcessShameWriting Process Author:Morgan Parker
“We kind of have to rewrite our own stories and our own ways of being free.” WayKindStoriesBeing Free Author:Morgan Parker
“Аrt movements are always linked to some kind of turmoil.” KindMovementLinkedTurmoil Author:Morgan Parker
“I also think that [political turmoil] gives artists something, a way of kind of processing.” ThinkingWayGivingKindPoliticalArtistTurmoilProcessingPolitical Turmoil Author:Morgan Parker
“I'm not reading any kind of fantasy [for young adults] or Hunger Games or anything like that. It's more just like geeks with crushes. It's very sweet, and I'm enjoying how honest they are, and I'm enjoying the humanity in them.” KindYoungHumanityReadingGamesEnjoyFantasyHonestSweetAdultsHungerYoung AdultCrushGeekVery Sweet Author:Morgan Parker
“So much of my writing process is trying to eliminate any kind of shame or fear of the thoughts that I'm having. Where I would usually backspace, I stop and say, "You know what? This is important, that I say how I feel and don't sugarcoat it, and don't avoid it." In my experience when I do try to avoid something, it makes its way into the work anyway. To be in front of it and just make friends with it is easier for me.” WritingTryingKindImportantShameWriting Process Author:Morgan Parker
“After a while, being so honest and so vulnerable on the page ends up affecting my own kind of self possession in the world, because I am not afraid of myself and my own thoughts. I think so much of being a woman, of being a social being, of being polite, is quieting those thoughts. There's so much we try not to say as we go through the day. There's a lot of tempering and self-editing. It is a relief to make writing that space where I don't need to do that.” ThinkingWorldWritingTryingKindHonestPossessionVulnerableNot AfraidPoliteBeing Polite Author:Morgan Parker
“Art movements are always linked to some kind of turmoil. We can look at history and see that [political turmoil is] fertile ground for art. I also think that it gives artists something, a way of kind of processing. My friends and I have all been super motivated to work and to do the work that we need to and want to and think should be in the world. Hard times are really a fire under your ass to prioritize and think, "Okay, how can I challenge myself to put something in the world that wasn't there that can reach other folks and help them to process"?” ThinkingWorldGivingKindArtHelpingPoliticalArtistChallengesOkayAssHard TimesMotivatedPrioritize Author:Morgan Parker
“I don't claim to say, "All black women are like me," because they're not. One type of black woman can exist, but also another kind can exist. I also really hope that people feel permission to talk about their own troubles, but also to celebrate themselves. Sometimes I feel as though I'm trying to take a hit for the team so that other people then can move forward. I'm like, "Look, I just laid out all of my stuff, so what's the worst that can happen"?” PeopleTryingKindSometimesMovingBlackTroubleTeamWorstMoving ForwardCelebrateBlack Women Author:Morgan Parker
