Overview

"we was bois together examines identities and belonging through the lenses of Blackness, queerness, and gender non-conforming narratives. The poems act as an homage and an ode to traversing these identities from childhood through adulthood. The collection is a testament to the author's deep bond with their longtime best friend, weaving together shared memories and the evolution of their connection. Central to the narrative is ""boihood worldmaking,"" a term coined by the author to express the collaborative process of shaping their own realities and narratives. Each poem resonates with authenticity, offering a glimpse into a world where resilience, friendship, and self-discovery intertwine to create a powerful narrative of belonging and empowerment."

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9781957840291

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"Testimonio poetics begins by a perilous embrace of societal inaudibility and works its way towards a death-defying rhythm of responsory. It is a simultaneous summoning of Self and Other with the aim of carving out new civic spaces. The journey requires a guide. Kelsey Smoot's we was bois together is the hardiest of guides. These poems withstand rockslides, floods, and outright attacks by hostiles. But the poems get us there, to a deepened, broader understanding of gender in our time. This collection is a master showcase of hard-won realities-through style, the high style of Kelsey Smoot. -Rodrigo Toscano, author of The Charm & The Dread This collection is a fierce declaration of self; it is a choice toward softness. In we was bois together, Kelsey Smoot fights to be a ""better, brighter reflection"" while facing the land mines often embedded in one's attempt to reclaim an imperfect masculinity. In struggle with the sometimes isolating nature of gender non-normativity, he affirms himself in boihood, an experience that, as Kelsey describes it, leaves room for the grace that the world often restricts from us. It leaves room for a human to exist before Black, before boi. - Nhataniel Placide, host of THE SPACE {space_openmic}"

Author Information

Kelsey L. Smoot (they/them/he/his) is a gender theorist, a committed Southerner, a writer, and a poet. Their work and writings explore the process of identity formation at the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. Selfhood and cultural constraints-such as masculinity and its associated expectations- coalesce in their writing. Their auto-ethnographic style has become a lens through which they understand their experience traversing the US sociopolitical landscape.Having grown up bicoastal and spending most of their adult life in a state of transience, Kels draws from his eclectic life experiences both deep fear and great optimism regarding what people are capable of. This tension is reflected in his published writing, which can be found in Barely South Review, The Guardian, HuffPost, Voicemail Poems, The Amistad, and at their website, www. queerinsomniac.meWhen not writing, Kels can be found actively engaging with their community, performing at The Space (a premiere open-mic based in Kennesaw, Georgia), perusing an antique store, or running the streets with their bois.

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