Jun 14, 2018
After years of reporting stints in and out of the country, I had a home and kitchen of my own.
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After years of reporting stints in and out of the country, I had a home and kitchen of my own.
Danez and Franny head to Motown and talk with poet, artist, playwright, and self-described sea witch Casey Rocheteau. Together, they write themselves into myth, learn some hidden history, shuffle some cards, and even talk some poetry.
Check out more of Casey Rocheteau work http://caseyrocheteau.org/
When I put the house on the market, I uncovered a story of a Black woman losing her home to municipal greed
Writers can be complicit in structures that benefit them while silencing the voices of their subjects. I got a house out of the deal, and then a Spirit of Detroit Award for moving into a home taken from a Black woman and second-generation Detroiter.
How to account for that, face to face?
“What appears to have happened,” I summarize, “was that the county had decided it wanted your house by the time you bought it, and then took it.”
“Pretty much,” Tomeka agrees.
“And even though that was years before I became involved, I did end up benefiting from that. And I am so sorry.” I’m trying not to cry. I don’t want Tomeka to feel like she has to make me feel better about how I came to be living in her house.
She does anyway. “Well it’s not your fault, Anne. You had no idea.”
As you get older, understanding what you did in your life, I don’t know if you make up new stories, or if in fact you understand things on a much deeper level. Things make sense to me now in a much different way, and it seems my whole life was about becoming a poet, becoming a black poet and maybe you just re-order your life as you get older to make sense.
Toi Derricotte, interviewed by Casey Rocheteau for the Write A House blog
SIGNAL BOOST
K, so I’m a writer and I’m sure some of you that follow my Tumblr are too. If you’re writing and broke, need a place to stay, and are having trouble with bills and shit? Check. This. Shit. Out.
http://www.writeahouse.org/ is GIVING AWAY HOMES to writers. Like free. For the free. For forever. Yeah, you read that right: they renovate a house for you, let you move in, and as long as you keep writing you don’t pay rent. The catch? You gotta keep writing and be involved in the community. That’s it, that’s the whole twist. They will GIVE your ass a house to live in and take a massive chunk of your bills out of the equation so you can focus on writing! I can’t take advantage of it based on the location of the house: I have to stay in the state where I am and couldn’t move way up there. BUT I want to share this because I’m sure it’ll help someone somwhere. PLEASE boost this even if you’re not a writer: you could be saving a life.
Free Homes for Writers!
Free Homes for Writers!
I received an email today from the folks at Write A House. While my writing has taken a back seat to social media recently, I still love the Write A House program and would love to see more writers take advantage of this. If you’re a writer and interested in a free house just for being a good neighbor, check this out!
[Tweet “Write A House is a twist on the “Writer’s Residency.” In this case,…
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I think that no matter what the poet’s subject, it is always a reflection of self. And to that end, it is important to me to make that transparent. If I don’t acknowledge and delve into the meat of identity in my work, then I think I do a disservice to readers.
Casey Rocheteau, interviewed for Flyover Country