I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already a central barrier in addressing the problem.

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 continue to explore poetry.

My interest in language is steadfast, but I think each project and its accompanying intentions dictate how language must be used.

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 am more likely to get paid for my art if it's presented alongside a white artist, so the questions around value and agency arise: What choices should I make, or do I have to make, if I want to be compensated for my work? Why isn't my art valued on its own?

I especially worry about the ways Canadians can be glib about our supposed difference from the US in our "acceptance" of "diversity."