Inheritance: A Visual Poem l Elizabeth Acevedo in conversation with Kalima DeSuze

They tell me to “fix” my hair.

And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten;

but how do you fix this shipwrecked

history of hair?

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

--

ELIZABETH ACEVEDO is the author of three award-winning novels: The Poet X—which won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, the Michael L. Printz Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and the Walter Award—With the Fire on High, and Clap When You Land, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book. She is a National Poetry Slam champion and holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Maryland. Acevedo lives with her partner in Washington, DC. You can find out more about her at www.acevedowrites.com.

KALIMA DESIZE is the owner of Cafe Con Libros and the founder of the Black Bookstore Collective. Kalima is an Afro-Latinx, social worker, activist and US Army Vet, Cafe con Libros prioritizes the narratives of womxn and girls with special attention on the African Diaspora.