Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? This question is weighted with my own worry that I have been invited to speak or collaborate solely because of my race, and not because of my abilities.

I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from the radio or library cassettes, and then "accidentally" sing or hum these songs in class. This would impress the girls, who would then defend me from the boys.

Art can sometimes be separate from the artist.

I feel like I have had to catch up to the art I've made, and learn from the protagonists I have written, especially in relation to gender.

I worry about what Trump will inspire in Canada, especially given incidents that have already occurred here since the election.

I recently did a reading at an elementary school in Ottawa, and one of the children asked me if I was a girl. I said yes. Another child commented that I had a deep voice. I responded: "Can girls have deep voices?" There was a pause and then the group responded, "Yes!"

In poetry, I didn't have to provide resolution. I could ask hard questions without feeling responsible for the answers.