“In moments of great emotion—or, say, in the writing of a poem—the way that we are able to perceive and experience space and time collapses,” J. Mae Barizo observes during our conversation in Multi-Verse Episode 9.
I experience this collapse as I read J. Mae’s poem “Sunday Women on Malcolm X Boulevard,” in which fires burn far away and startlingly close, childhood is conjured by the curve of a petal, and sheltering-in-place brings women together, separated only by glass.
As we unwind the 12 couplets of “Sunday Women on Malcolm X Boulevard,” J. Mae and I discuss the rhythms that rule our bodies—and how recognizing our invisible needs can be a revolutionary act.
Take care of your ears: listen to “Sunday Women on Malcolm X Boulevard” and let time, for a few minutes, stand still.
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You can find “Sunday Women on Malcolm X Boulevard” in J. Mae Barizo’s second poetry collection, Tender Machines, published in May 2023 with Tupelo Press.
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Multi-Verse is a poetry podcast hosted and produced by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. To help connect poetry with ears, subscribe to Multi-Verse at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, SoundCloud, your favorite podcast app, or visit multiversepoetry.org.
Episode 9: J. Mae Barizo on the Rhythm of Tenderness