"Black Rootedness” poets prepare for performances of anthology
Karla Brundage is a poet, activist, and educator based in Oakland who has been creating anthologies for nearly two decades. “Since Hurricane Katrina, really” Brundage shares as we meet on Zoom one cold, January morning.
She's also the lead editor of Black Rootedness: 54 Poets from Africa to America (Elyssar Press 2022). We're grateful for her time to share exciting updates with us, especially regarding two upcoming performances of the book – and the power of bringing poets together, united by a theme.
“I think of these anthologies as histories based in activism. The first anthology, Words Upon the Water, was a poetic response to the hurricane–the devastation, the impact, the emerging aftermath… everything.”
–Karla Brundage
After that anthology, Brundage saw the power of creating anthologies and “bringing together voices united around some kind of theme. I’ve kind of been hooked since,” she says. When the time came to find a publisher for Black Rootedness, Brundage was concerned about finding a publisher.
“I submitted to Elyssar Press with my fingers crossed, but also aware that few publishing houses will even consider anthologies for their press. Elyssar Press had published a multi-author anthology before, which gave me hope.”
Black Rootedness: 54 Poets from Africa to America is a complex anthology that has inspired multiple performances.
It can be difficult for anthologies to get published
One problem many editors of anthologies face is finding a publisher. Part of this is a marketing and demand problem: multi-author anthologies do not sell as well as novels, for example.
Additionally, many anthologies emerge as collections by a publishing house itself, featuring solely authors published by that same house. A House Called Tomorrow: Fifty Years of Poetry by Copper Canyon Press is a beautiful example of this type of anthology.
Luckily for Brundage, the team behind Elyssar Press was onboard with her anthology right away. This anthology hit home instantly,” Founder of Elyssar Press, Katia Aoun Hage, shares. “As someone born in Cameroon and living in the US, I was immediately drawn to the conversation between the poets. The stark differences of perspectives about life, family, work, and society was such a refreshing way to open my understanding.”
“Poetry can be an equalizer for cross-cultural exchanges,” reflects Brundage.
The model for an anthology like Black Rootedness already existed. Ever busy with multiple creative projects at once, Brundage had been leading cross-cultural poetry exchanges for years through the nonprofit West Oakland to West Africa–WO2WA, for short.
WO2WA connects members of the African diaspora with each other and seeks to sustain those connections–often through artistic mediums and travel.
“For African poets and American poets to be together in the same anthology is important–and I think I’m the main person spearheading that in the United States. It’s rare for Kenyan poets, for example, to be published in the United States alongside American-based poets. And vice versa. The cross-cultural conversations in Black Rootedness are also really special.”
The paired poems – which are calls and responses to each other – form a time capsule around topics like love, identity, Black American identity, Ghanaian and Kenyan culture, connection, structural injustices, and the call for social change.
Global poetry exchanges are essential
Black Rootedness also features several poet laureates in the collection, including Tongo Eisen-Martin, Poet Laureate of San Francisco, and Ayodele Nzinga, Poet Laureate of Oakland.
“This is the most important work in Black poetry right now,” adds Eisen-Martin, speaking to the cross-cultural dialogue within each exchange.
–Tongo Eisen-Martin
Global poetry exchanges are not without challenges. Once she had the paired poems and it was time for editing, Brundage navigated questions like, “Are we using British English or American English in the anthology? How can we relieve writers of the burden and colonialistic nature of rigid punctuation but also have consistency?” And Brundage also shared how while poetry can be deeply healing, it isn’t without its own legacies and political decisions.
“I’m not trying to say that ‘writing poetry is easier’ than other forms of creative expression, because that’s not true. I’m saying that poetry can be a vehicle to get to the heart of it, to get toward freedom, and to continue exchanging ideas. In that way, poetry is essential.”
Sir Black (left) and Karla Brundage (right) perform at the Goethe Centre in Accra. Photo by Kumi Rauf of Travelling.Black.
Brundage has orchestrated several, upcoming performances of “Black Rootedness” in both San Francisco and Oakland
If you read Black Rootedness or are interested in how poetry can be a bridge across diasporas and continents, then you’re in luck because Brundage has taken the book on the road.
On Saturday, May 4, at the Red Poppy Art House, “Late Walking, Revolutionary Talking” will be onstage from 11a.m. – 12:30 p.m., as part of the San Francisco International Arts Festival. Early Bird tickets also come with a special brunch so order before March 31st.
Then, August 9 and 10, join Brundage at BAM House in Oakland, where she will be part of a choreo-program alongside Oakland Poet Laureate, Ayodele Nzinga, and many more poets who have poems in this anthology.
Follow Karla Brundage on Instagram and buy Black Rootednessto support vital, cross-cultural exchanges. You can also further your impact by donating directly to WO2WA to support future poetry exchanges on the horizon.
Experience a visceral journey from West Oakland to West Africa (WO2WA).
Black Rootedness is a landmark Pan-African poetry anthology that bridges centuries of separation to foster a meaningful dialogue between 54 poets from Africa and America in the Renshi poetry method. Curated by Karla Brundage with an introduction by Rashidah Ismaili, this collection is the culmination of international workshops designed to explore the vibrant exchange between Africa and the African Diaspora.
A Narrative of Healing and Sankofa
At the heart of this spoken word and creative writing collection is the concept of Sankofa—the intentional return to retrieve narratives that have been forgotten or lost. By centering Black healing and growth, these poems provide an uncensored critique of social systems while celebrating the strength of women and the resilience of cultural identity.
The Impact of Pan-African Literature and Diaspora Narratives
Connecting the Diaspora: From the streets of West Oakland to the shores of West Africa, these voices navigate the shared experiences of the foreigner, the returnee, and the neo-African. Through an experimentation of styles, these poets deliver an authentic and innovative form of contemporary lyricism that redefines international, cross-cultural relationships and Afrocentric expression.
This collection of Sankofa poetry serves as a vital resource for African Studies, social justice advocates, and those interested in the role of art in decolonizing poetry.
Black Rootedness is more than a book; it is a holistic partnership between Americans and the world—a safe space where honesty and pride strive to shape the future of Pan-African literature.
54 Poets from Africa to America
Black Rootedness spans from West Oakland to West Africa (WO2WA) and provides a sustained exchange to connect members of the African Diaspora and Africa through creative writing. Our core values are to create a safe place for the transparent healing and growth of Black people; to deliver innovative and authentic forms of writing and to engage the medium of spoken word to shape and define the narratives of the Diaspora; and to allow a visceral and uncensored critique of social systems through artistic expression. Our goal is to facilitate Sankofa, a return to retrieve what has been forgotten or lost. By doing so, we hope to continue to promote Afrocentric approaches to international and cross-cultural relationships that support holistic partnerships between Americans and the world around us. — Karla Brundage
The anthology is a culmination of workshops in Africa and America featuring 54 poets from Africa to America, include shared experiences of foreigner/returnee, neo-African, borrower of phrases, and experimenter of styles that shape—and will continue to shape—the vibrant exchange between Africa and the Diaspora. Poetry is an artistic vehicle that allows this to happen with humility and pride; honesty and fear strive for a way to establish a meaningful dialogue after centuries of separation. — Rashidah Ismaili
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Length: 312 pages
ISBN: 9798985368635