A Conversation & Reading with Poet Laini Mataka, Author "The Return of the Kings"
Laini Mataka is a Washington, DC-based writer, teacher, and community leader. She has received many awards for her service, including induction into the University of Chicago's International Library Hall of Fame for Writers of Afrikan Descent. Acclaimed poet and publisher Haki Madhubti described Mataka's previous work as a complete repertory of one woman's travels through Black America, and Return of the Kings marks the next leg of her journey.
Mataka's mission in writing is to give a voice to the souls of Black people and celebrate them. She is a devout transcriber for spirits known and unknown, a recorder of freedom cries and freedom denied, Black history's mouthpiece, and rebellion's archivist. Return of the Kings continues Mataka's unapologetic elevation of Black people's lives and struggles, using her powerful command of language and keen cultural observations as weapons. The poems in this collection acknowledge the challenges Black people face while also offering hope for a brighter future.
Laini Mataka is a Washington, DC-based writer, teacher, and community leader. She has received many awards for her service, including induction into the University of Chicago's International Library Hall of Fame for Writers of Afrikan Descent. Acclaimed poet and publisher Haki Madhubti described Mataka's previous work as a complete repertory of one woman's travels through Black America, and Return of the Kings marks the next leg of her journey.
Mataka's mission in writing is to give a voice to the souls of Black people and celebrate them. She is a devout transcriber for spirits known and unknown, a recorder of freedom cries and freedom denied, Black history's mouthpiece, and rebellion's archivist. Return of the Kings continues Mataka's unapologetic elevation of Black people's lives and struggles, using her powerful command of language and keen cultural observations as weapons. The poems in this collection acknowledge the challenges Black people face while also offering hope for a brighter future.
