Biography

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Virginia State University, Virginia, United States
Dr. Latorial Faison is an award-winning African American poet, author, professor, veteran military spouse, and mother born in Southampton County, VA. She’s authored & edited 16 books, including Nursery Rhymes in Black, Blood at the Root, Mother to Son, Love Poems, 28 Days of Poetry Celebrating Black History, I-III & The Missed Education of the Negro. Faison completed undergraduate & graduate studies in English at UVA and VA TECH; she completed doctoral studies in Education at VA State University. Faison's been published in Callaloo, Obsidian, PRAIRIE SCHOONER, Artemis Journal, West Trestle Review, RHINO, Southern Poetry Anthology, About Place Journal, Southern Women's Review, Deep South Magazine, Chickenbones, AUNT CHLOE, and elsewhere. Dr. Faison is a recipient of fellowships from VA Humanities, Furious Flower Poetry Center, and AWP. She's won the Tom Howard Poetry Prize and ranked finalist for CAVE CANEM and Louise Bogan Poetry Prizes. Faison's been published alongside Iyanla Vanzant, Danny Glover & Dr. Cornel West in the NAACP Image Award-winner, Keeping the Faith. She's Assistant Professor of English and Chair of Languages and Literature at VA State University.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Unpacking It

by Latorial Faison


Moving in my forties
like having to extract
my own teeth with pliers

Look at all the boxes
staring up & down at
the me that used to be
young, strong, interested

How many states have I
loved & left wondering
what beautiful ugly
packing & dragging these
memories through thin air
those people I love/hate

No one to call on but
our last names & blood ties
& nineteen years that passed
without unpacking it
this box of wedding gifts



©  2014 Latorial D. W. Faison
www.latorialfaison.com

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