Celebrating Bethlehem's Southside Culture
Let me compare myself to my black ass self: -Thiahera Nurse “The Freedom Dream” There is a queerness to my survival—I will live a long, Black life—Let me water my feet—In that, I grow storms—My hands reach out to meet me My throat opens in my throat—I wade in the wash of myselves—Compare that to…
In Case of a BLK PLANET: About kiki nicole: kiki nicole (they/them) is a Black, Queer, and Non-binary multimedia artist and poet. They’ve received invitations to fellowships such as Pink Door Writing Retreat, In Surreal Life, The Watering Hole, and Winter Tangerine. nicole is the co-curator and collaborator of the first and the last, an…
PC: Emma Ackermman On October 24th, Basement Poetry hosted a live poetry reading at Touchstone Theatre that Diedre Van Walters, the MC of the event, framed as a form of protest. As Van Walters put it at the start of the event, these artists and poets did not share their thoughts and experiences, their ways…
“LifeTime” Performance “LifeTime” Lyrics I’ve lived a couple lifetimes within my lifetime Still surprised I’m in my right mind could wait a lifetime waiting for that right time I play with words in reverse try to rewrite time Spent on negativity thoughts weighing heavy mentally Cost of what heaven sent to me Also the saddest…
“Embracing My Melanin” Spoken Word Performance: “Embracing My Melanin” Lyrics The Black beauty my mother created, The melanin that flows through my thick colored brown veins, I’m proud to call myself a Black beauty queen. But I have no other worries about my skin, other then u know being bashed, lynched, dragged, or even a…
Ebony’s Flaws: Spoken-word Performance Lyrics: See black is beautiful, I’d never change my color for another But sometimes I feel like I can’t trust the others or my brothers so it’s hard for me to stand here screaming black lives matter When genocide became a cycle since that crack pipe shattered And it’s so hard to…
Corporate America: Spoken Word Performance Corporate America: Lyrics This land is not a country it’s a corporation That has been funded by the ignorance of Your frustration Stuck in this whole without a ladder or rope As we go back n forth about that lives has matter the most We’re all divided and I see no…
“Refuse Fascism” Spoken Word Performance “Refuse Fascism” Lyrics They want to cut family ties, that have been knotted since history, With more stories than the tallest building, Small, but we are building! Brick by brick, from the wall they use to oppress us, to impress upon them! We will… Refuse Fascism Resist Hatred Right wrongs…
“The American Dream” I woke up today in the dark… Where other people’s words were clouding my judgement… Where every mirror was either blacked out or shattered… To them my wounds don’t matter as long as they can keep their stature… I WOKE UP TODAY… IN THE DARK.. I couldn’t feel my heart..beat As I…
On Thursday, July 23, people from the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia came together over Zoom to share their insights and reactions to Danez Smith’s powerful and haunting poetry collection, Don’t Call Us Dead. The Queer Poetry Reading Group discussion was hosted by the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, and sponsored in part by the Lehigh Valley…