On May 3rd, 2018, we teamed up with Rally Reading Series to host an evening of art & words centered around forces of opposition.

The Rally continued its exciting sophomore season with three leading literary warriors — Omotara James, Laura Buccieri, and Katie Longofono — from the pages of The Seventh Wave. These poets’ words were a kind of beauty that wasn’t afraid to sting, to look at hard truths and dig in. They spoke to the body, spoke to being labeled a woman, spoke to revelatory moments and relatable ones. Attendees came to see these powerful voices perform, and offered them their questions, comments, and reactions. The heart of a march in the body of a reading series — it was a whole new helping of overtly political discourse.

Omotara James is a poet and essayist. Her poetry chapbook, “Daughter Tongue,” was selected by African Poetry Book Fund, in collaboration with Akashic Books, for the 2018 New Generation African Poets Box Set. Her debut full length collection, “Mama Wata,” is forthcoming in the Fall of 2018, from Siren Songs of CCM press. She is a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow and her work has appeared in American Chordata, Seventh Wave, Cosmonauts Avenue, Newtown Literary and elsewhere. Her awards include the Bridging the Gap Award for Emerging Poets and the Nancy P. Schnader Academy of American Poets Award.

Laura Buccieri is the author of the chapbook, on being mistaken (PANK Books, 2018). You can find her forthcoming and most recent work in Cosmonauts Avenue, Metatron, Prelude, Lambda Literary, Word Riot, Apogee, and elsewhere. She is the Publicist at Copper Canyon Press & lives in NYC.

Katie Longofono received her MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College and is the author of three chapbooks: Angeltits (Sundress Publications 2016), Honey and Bandages (co-authored with Mary Stone; Folded Word Press 2015), and The Angel of Sex (Dancing Girl Press, 2013). Her work has appeared in The Boiler Journal, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, BOAAT, glitterMOB, South Dakota Review, Juked, Slipstream, and more. She lives in Brooklyn.

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About Rally Reading Series:

Rally is a place where readers, writers, activists, and citizens find the stories they have in common. The Rally began as a one-time event in November 2016, one week after the election of Donald Trump. The open-mic platform promoted catharsis: a place where people of all stripes could take the stage to express their anxieties before a supportive audience.

Now, following live readings, writers engage the audience in brief conversation: listeners can ask questions, offer their own thoughts, and respond in any way that is respectful and productive. The themes and the topics addressed vary greatly from show to show, but the central mission remains the same: to provide a platform for underrepresented or disenfranchised individuals whose voices are luminous and necessary. In those stories we hope to find actionable, meaningful ways to cultivate change, and advance a stronger future for our community and democracy. See more here.

Seventh Wave Editor Krista G. kicking off the night with a few words about our org & featured readers