In an interview with Studs Terkel in December of 1961, James Baldwin is quoted saying “… education demands a certain daring, a certain independence of mind. You have to teach some people to think; and in order to teach some people to think, you have to teach them to think about everything. There mustn’t be somethingContinue reading “On Being a Writer.”
Author Archives: Robbie Williford
the year of undoing.
the year of learning how to forget / how to be and only be / whoever it is / i’ve been / trying to be / even with all of this undoing. there are mountains of grace waiting / for me / at the bottom of my heart / waiting to be given out /Continue reading “the year of undoing.”
This mind
its tactful complexities come to the surface to see how much sunlight it can gather. Taking root, it convinces me that every plane I get on will only touch down in pieces, scattered across plains where nobody exists. It reminds me of how human I am when death takes someone away from their lives andContinue reading “This mind”
To Charlotte: Part One
The person, not the city. To be read when you’re ready, which I recognize you won’t know until you know. This is part one of the X amount of letters I’ll write you between now and forever. Spreading ashes like memories across a lifetime of lifting heavy things so Charlotte has a well-lit path toContinue reading “To Charlotte: Part One”
A letter to my father
In the span of five months, a friend of mine passed away at 27 and my grandmother passed away at 93. Ever since then I’ve faced this sort of undeniable truth that we all will turn to dust at some point. All living things don’t live forever–some live longer than others, some sooner than most–andContinue reading “A letter to my father”
Craft practice
Every April, the literary world turns their collective eyes to poetry in an effort to observe National Poetry Month. I, too, find myself paying extra attention to poetry during these days, even more than I usually do. Every day is another opportunity to find the words in my bones that I’ve hidden for safekeeping. ItContinue reading “Craft practice”
3:01 PM
Over the course of the last couple of months, my mother has grown weary from worry. My grandmother wasn’t doing well; she wasn’t eating and found herself in the hospital. She had some okay days, but mostly it felt like she was holding on for the sake of holding on. “You might want to come homeContinue reading “3:01 PM”
Saying Goodbye
Each year is an adventure of learning to say goodbye in a new way. At least for those of us who work in a profession that is predicated on pushing people to their own finish line and into the next phase of their life. Students graduate or move off-campus, peers accept jobs and leave, people uproot theContinue reading “Saying Goodbye”
April 30 – #NPM17
Where had I heard this wind before Change like this to a deeper roar? What would it take my standing there for, Holding open a restive door, Looking down hill to a frothy shore? Summer was past and the day was past. Sombre clouds in the west were massed. Out on the porch’s sagging floor,Continue reading “April 30 – #NPM17”
April 29 – #NPM17
Before I let you love me, my heart will have to finish the untitled document it’s spent months waiting to complete. It’s a requirement that you spill your guts for me so I know if you have any guts at all. Tell me about the way pianos sounded like pain underneath your mother’s fingers butContinue reading “April 29 – #NPM17”
