Cave Canem » Blog Archive » Rucker , Kamau

Kamau Rucker

Website
Years: 2008, 2009

Biography

Kamau Rucker is a teacher and singer/songwriter. Additional work includes play writing. He is a Master of Fine Arts graduate in Creative Writing from George Mason University and a Cave Canem Fellow. Recent publication credits include: The Heat, The Day, and This Moment (San Francisco Bay Press), Conditions of Light (Pudding House Publications), Salamander, Drunken Boat, Six Little Things, and Ruah.

Poem

Water WeightWhat poses for lightshot through a jarsilenced, slipped throughSpectrums is a metaphor forRain is a metaphor forSorrow is a metaphor forglassBodies on the coastlinefloat and float Buoyancy is the difference betweenweight and densityaltered by massSea is a metaphor for Silt is a metaphor forRest is a metaphor forstainEverything that can’t be saidis rum in a jaris fire in a glassis a wound in the throatevery night that we claimCloud is a metaphor forSynapse is a metaphor for Desire is a metaphor fordesire

“By the time I leave a CC Retreat, I can feel that the internal imperative to Write! has shifted from an obsessive, isolating quality to one of deep communal rites and responsibilities – what healthier transition exists for an artist?

Geffrey Davis

2015-11-26T15:51:22-04:00

Geffrey Davis

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/geffrey-davis/

“There is nothing like being seen by the eyes of those who, without explanation, understand why you do what you do when you do it. There is nothing like not having to decode or apologize for the sweet pleasure of a word or phrase that will not let loose of your ear.”

Nikky Finney, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South

2015-11-26T15:29:19-04:00

Nikky Finney, The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/nikky-finney-the-ringing-ear-black-poets-lean-south/

“While I can't even begin to measure Cave Canem's value to me personally (community, friendship, rigor), we all can see the radical movement it’s occasioned in American poetry. To be plain: it's changed—and is changing—the face(s) of our literary landscape. How often in our lives will we be able to participate in something as important and beautiful? It's a joy to support this."

Ross Gay, Fellow

2015-11-26T15:44:48-04:00

Ross Gay, Fellow

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/285/

“Cave Canem is a kind of heaven, yes. It’s not just that we are speaking to each other there as black people; it’s that we’ve lived the lives of black poets. We’ve faced the fears, the hurts, and we’re still poets. To undertake and stay with this task, usually so unrewarded, creates a kind of strength and compassion that is enormous.”

Toi Derricotte

2015-11-26T15:31:58-04:00

Toi Derricotte

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/toi-derricotte/

“Back in 2000 when I was first accepted at Cave Canem, I was working part-time at a bookstore making less than $7 an hour. The scholarship I received was the only reason I was able to attend, and it changed my writing life by introducing me to mentors like Toi Derricotte and Nikky Finney and eventually connecting me to the editor who published my first book. Please consider changing another poet's life by supporting Cave Canem financially.”

Traci Dant, Fellow

2015-11-26T15:44:16-04:00

Traci Dant, Fellow

https://cavecanempoets.org/testimonials/284/