“Excellence
and elegance with every step I take,
Labels
are something I transcend, nothing holds
Me
back,”
Alexa
Christian, from the poem “My Little Brown Self”
Showering
her readers with the confidence drawn from the love of her foremothers, Alexa’s
words are bold and vibrant. Her verses
and monologues plant a seed to be watered and nurtured with the courage of
creativity.
“From
a Black Girl to All Black Girls” is a collection of poems, monologues and a play by
Alexa Christian, a very young poet from Tennessee. Through her writing she pays
tribute to the wisdom of her foremothers—“mothers, mommas, nanas, grannies”--
while inviting girls to express themselves.
Alexa’s poetry kindles our curiosity to learn
more about her ancestors, and I hope she will continue to write about them in
future books.
After
sharing her own poetry, Alexa provides space and ideas to unleash the readers’
creative energy. Alexa urges her readers to honor their dreams and their own
voices. Her poetry book also contains a literary glossary and reading
recommendations.
Alexa is convinced that fostering a love for
poetry early on should be a crucial aspect of education.
Opening up to a diversity of voices will pave
the way to more fair societies. In various subtle ways the voices of women of color are often ignored or distorted by biases and prejudices, and this can
undermine their right to full expression.
It is also necessary to enrich school curricula by acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of women of color.
Today I have the honor to interview Alexa
Christian, author of “From a Black Girl to All Black Girls”. Thank you, Alexa, for
your contribution to this post.
Julia:
What is the purpose of your book? What inspired
you to write it and publish it?
Alexa:
The purpose of my book is to ignite and fan the interest of poetry in
students - primarily in the levels of kindergarten through grade 3. Yet the
love of poetry, monologues, and playwriting are for every age. My
inspiration for writing and publishing FABG Vol. 1 was the simple longing
for people (other than my mother who has always been a gracious audience) to
read, and understand, and relate to the complexity of my feelings and life
during early 2020. My purpose is also to give others a chance to write
their own thoughts with the provided space in my book.
Julia:
In your book you included a play that grabbed my attention. It is about Ella, a
woman who is compelled to write a book and publish it, but there are unexpected
forces at play that try to restrain her. What gave you the idea to write about
it?
Alexa:
The story behind Ella (who was named after my great-grandmother, the mother of
my mother's father) and the play was given to me by my then unnoticed hidden desire
of publishing my intimate thoughts. The writing process was interesting for me
to explore how to go about the storyline, I gave a non-happy happy ending,
which surprised even me. From a true lover of 'it all works out beautifully'
story tropes.
Julia:
How would you improve school curricula to allow the voices of black women to be
heard? Do you think schools teach enough about black women writers, artists and
scientists?
Alexa: I would improve school
curricula to allow the voices of black women to be heard by requiring
books written by black writers in several subjects. And by integrating poetry
and sign language, which statistically raises reading comprehension and
focus. Covid-19 hit and is still affecting students in both apparent and
invisible ways. Scholars deserve a revised, more in depth and purposeful
curriculum. Schools do not presently teach enough about black women writers,
artists, scientists but making this change will give exponentially positive
results across all levels and demographics.
Julia:
What are your goals for the future?
Alexa:
My goals for the future are for all demographics whether in public or private
schools to get the best instruction and a presence of poetry and sign language
embedded into multiple grade instruction.
I have been blessed in my life to be
instructed to present a report on Maya Angelou, who authored my favorite poem -
In & Out of Time (4th grade). I enthusiastically participated in a
mandatory class-wide Reading Iditarod (5th grade). My school gave my classmates
and me field trips to see the movies 42 and Hidden Figures (7th + 8th
grade) and it certainly doesn't hurt to have a cool English teacher for a mom
who encouraged my love for summer reading. I can't imagine not pouring back
into communities.
The
From A Black Girls Series is available on Alexachristian.com
