Side Notes from the Archivist, AnastaciaRenee
Side Notes from the Archivist, AnastaciaRenee
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Side Notes from the Archivist
Poems

Author: Anastacia-Renee

Narrator: Anastacia-Renee

Unabridged: 1 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 03/14/2023


Synopsis

The award-winning, genre-crossing writer demonstrates her power as a funkadelic and formidable feminist voice in this rich and beautiful collection of verse and image—a multi-part retrospective that traverses time, space, and reality to illuminate the expansiveness of Black femme lives.Voted one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library.Side Notes from the Archivist is a preservation of Black culture viewed through a feminist lens. The Archivist leads readers through poems that epitomize youthful renditions of a Black girl coming of age in Philadelphia’s pre-funk ’80s; episodic adventures of “the Black Girl” whose life is depicted through the white gaze; and selections of verse evincing affection for self and testimony to the magnificence within Black femme culture at-large.Every poem in Side Notes elevates and honestly illustrates the buoyancy of Blackness and the calamity of Black lives on earth. In her uniquely embracing and experimental style, Anastacia-Reneé documents these truths as celebrations of diverse subjects, from Solid Gold to halal hotdogs; as homages and reflections on iconic images, from Marsha P. Johnson to Aunt Jemima; and as critiques of systemic oppression forcing some to countdown their last heartbeat.From internet “Fame” to the toxicity of the white gaze, Side Notes from the Archivist cements Anastacia-Reneé role as a leading light in the womanist movement—an artist whose work is in conversation with advocates of Black culture and thought such as Audre Lorde, Amiri Baraka, and Nikki Giovanni.

About Anastacia-Renee

Anastacia-Reneé is an award-winning cross-genre queer writer, educator, interdisciplinary artist, TEDX speaker and former Seattle Civic Poet. She is the author of Side Notes from the Archivist, (v.), and Forget It. Her mixed media art has been exhibited at the Fry Art Museum and her installation, “Don’t Be Absurd (Alice in Parts),” was chosen by NBC as one of the “Queer Artist of Color Must See LGBTQ Arts Shows.” She has received fellowships and residencies from Cave Canem, Hedgebrook, VONA, Artist Trust, Ragdale, Mineral School and others. Renee'’s  poetry, fiction and nonfiction has been anthologized and published widely. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jen

I enjoyed this collection so much, and want to revisit it again and again because it's multi-layered, and every time I pick it up and re-read a poem from the book, I see new meaning and resonance from different angles. It's like walking through a multimedia exhibition of Black experiences, Black res......more

Goodreads review by Jessica

More poetry for National Poetry Month! This was another powerful collection. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't like their poetry overly flowery or lyrical. These poems offer a feminist look on Black culture.......more

Goodreads review by Lyss

I really enjoyed read thing this. It was a lucky find at a bookstore and I’m so happy I hung on to it. The content of the poems is expressed through so many different structures and they all translated well. Loved this read.......more