Nakanee Monique's guest appearances

Nakanee Monique

We Art Tacoma

OwlTail

We jump back in with Nakanee Monique and they kick us off with a reading of part 2 of her epic poem Listen. Take some time to read the full poem, included below. Tacoma-based writer and activist Nakanee Monique (she/they) has been writing poetry since they were 8 years old and is “inspired by nature, science, literature, and all the great and terrible beauties of this world.” Find Nakanee’s poetry on their Instagram, @Lunarrhythm_6. Listen to Part 1 of our conversation with Nakanee here. In this episode, Nakanee, Jamika, and Katy nerd out about the triumphs, struggles, methods, and tactics of writing. Nakanee is a four-time NaNoWriMo champion and entices us with the descriptions of their as-of-yet unpublished books! Nakanee also generously shares this link to their short story The Lore of the Blood Tree. We talk through pandemic lessons learned, rediscovering ourselves, branding and monetizing creativity, and building strategies to survive and thrive as a working artist. Event planning also ensues including brainstorming about silent reading parties and write-ins. Shout outs and topics include dragons, poetry, journaling, capitalism, commodification, hand-washing, TikTok, astrology, goals, boundaries, NaNoRiMo, worldbuilding, death, fantasy, imagination, naming, community building, write-ins, editing, vulnerability, trust-building, constructive criticism, Blue Cactus Press (Featured photograph by Jamika!) We want art tips! Email us at wearttacoma@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @wearttacomapod! Listen By Nakanee Monique pt 1 Can you not hear the past echoes coming from our throats, we’re choked and we are suffocating Still advocating for ancient blasphemies and trafficking a tragedy of souls by the soulless. Made homeless, then controlled us… left alone in a sea of apathy. They sound like screams like the roar of collective dreams unheard, on repeat Always the frequencies reverberate upon frigid mountaintops unmoved like the screams are merely a breeze an afterthought; an imperfect black spot on the snow that maddens though no blot can stop the avalanche your hell hath wrought for all your treasures were paid and bought with those screams with those dreams then hoarded by dragons who own the word ‘Free’. Those worshiped fiendish beasts have pulled sheep’s wool used cheap tools to blind you. But are you deafened too? Learned no lessons through songs and stories consumed like cannibals… Careful to whom you refer as animals For if you cannot hear it the animal is you. pt 2 Our cities glitter in the distance though all that glitters is not gold, I know. If they were gold, those cities— no matter how pretty— would be mined to and fro, back and forth we’d go as we excavate the ruins of ourselves. Mine and mine, and yours and yours would dig and dig deep enough to build a well intentioned path to hell One foot then the other into the grave we go Mistakes were made as dragons taught us that life itself is a treasure, but to a dragon a treasure is made for taking exploitation made forsaken in homelands. A dragon teaches us that what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine so mine and mine and mine and mine until gold turns to blood and Earth turns to smoke— and how are you not choking on all of this? Pollution industrial neglect I can’t breathe enough to object See how it all connects? How short-sighted a dragon is? ‘Cause the paths that we built will soon go both ways: Hellish gate Titans released Dragons slumbering True monsters await at the end of the path and we are their final offering… From up on high, despite rising tides and the devastating truth of Mother Nature’s might, Dragons still choose human suffering and to them when the whole world’s on fire it will be worth it for the glittering recovery &amp; when those fires of our desires take us ever higher reaching for their pinnacle— the marketed “grind” lie— the truth of what it means to be human pigeonholed in the cynical poison of our choosing we must ask ourselves: if here there be dragons and dragons have souls how aren’t their souls the ones worth losing? When they’re the ones refusing? And we’re the ones bruising at the end of the day… So, yes indeed if here there be dragons isn’t it time that we rise up and slay?

We jump back in with Nakanee Monique and they kick us off with a reading of part 2 of her epic poem Listen. Take some time to read the full poem, included below. Tacoma-based writer and activist Nakanee Monique (she/they) has been writing poetry since they were 8 years old and is “inspired by nature, science, literature, and all the great and terrible beauties of this world.” Find Nakanee’s poetry on their Instagram, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lunarrhythm_6/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@Lunarrhythm_6.</a> Listen to Part 1 of our conversation with Nakanee <a href="https://wearttacoma.com/nakanee-monique-2022/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>. In this episode, Nakanee, Jamika, and Katy nerd out about the triumphs, struggles, methods, and tactics of writing. Nakanee is a four-time NaNoWriMo champion and entices us with the descriptions of their as-of-yet unpublished books! Nakanee also generously shares this link to their short story <a href="https://thevaporiousconstellation-blog.tumblr.com/post/131896016825/the-blood-tree" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Lore of the Blood Tree</a>. We talk through pandemic lessons learned, rediscovering ourselves, branding and monetizing creativity, and building strategies to survive and thrive as a working artist. Event planning also ensues including brainstorming about silent reading parties and write-ins. Shout outs and topics include dragons, poetry, journaling, capitalism, commodification, hand-washing, TikTok, astrology, goals, boundaries, NaNoRiMo, worldbuilding, death, fantasy, imagination, naming, community building, write-ins, editing, vulnerability, trust-building, constructive criticism, Blue Cactus Press (Featured photograph by Jamika!) We want art tips! Email us at wearttacoma@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/wearttacomapod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@wearttacomapod</a>! Listen By Nakanee Monique pt 1 Can you not hear the past echoes coming from our throats, we’re choked and we are suffocating Still advocating for ancient blasphemies and trafficking a tragedy of souls by the soulless. Made homeless, then controlled us… left alone in a sea of apathy. They sound like screams like the roar of collective dreams unheard, on repeat Always the frequencies reverberate upon frigid mountaintops unmoved like the screams are merely a breeze an afterthought; an imperfect black spot on the snow that maddens though no blot can stop the avalanche your hell hath wrought for all your treasures were paid and bought with those screams with those dreams then hoarded by dragons who own the word ‘Free’. Those worshiped fiendish beasts have pulled sheep’s wool used cheap tools to blind you. But are you deafened too? Learned no lessons through songs and stories consumed like cannibals… Careful to whom you refer as animals For if you cannot hear it the animal is you. pt 2 Our cities glitter in the distance though all that glitters is not gold, I know. If they were gold, those cities— no matter how pretty— would be mined to and fro, back and forth we’d go as we excavate the ruins of ourselves. Mine and mine, and yours and yours would dig and dig deep enough to build a well intentioned path to hell One foot then the other into the grave we go Mistakes were made as dragons taught us that life itself is a treasure, but to a dragon a treasure is made for taking exploitation made forsaken in homelands. A dragon teaches us that what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine so mine and mine and mine and mine until gold turns to blood and Earth turns to smoke— and how are you not choking on all of this? Pollution industrial neglect I can’t breathe enough to object See how it all connects? How short-sighted a dragon is? ‘Cause the paths that we built will soon go both ways: Hellish gate Titans released Dragons slumbering True monsters await at the end of the path and we are their final offering… From up on high, despite rising tides and the devastating truth of Mother Nature’s might, Dragons still choose human suffering and to them when the whole world’s on fire it will be worth it for the glittering recovery &amp; when those fires of our desires take us ever higher reaching for their pinnacle— the marketed “grind” lie— the truth of what it means to be human pigeonholed in the cynical poison of our choosing we must ask ourselves: if here there be dragons and dragons have souls how aren’t their souls the ones worth losing? When they’re the ones refusing? And we’re the ones bruising at the end of the day… So, yes indeed if here there be dragons isn’t it time that we rise up and slay?

Part 2 with Writer Nakanee Monique: Worldbuilding and Finding Community

The first of a two-part series, Jamika and Katy talk with Tacoma-based writer and activist Nakanee Monique about her art and activism. Nakanee (she/they) has been writing poetry since they were 8 years old and is “inspired by nature, science, literature, and all the great and terrible beauties of this world.” Find Nakanee’s poetry on their Instagram, @Lunarrhythm_6. Nakanee and Jamika have known each other via social media, and met in person this past June at a protest in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Nakanee shares their experiences as an activist artist, and their philosophy that art can change the word. Nakanee closes this episode with a reading of part 1 of their poem, Listen. Shout outs and topics include protesting, writing, pandemic healing and recovery, safe spaces, procrastination, the creative process, chaos, setting the mood, fountain pens, artmaking tools, thievery,  journaling, public speaking, dismantling the patriarchy, comedy, community-building, grief, fear, racism, vulnerability, Kate Bush, gatekeeping, rituals, crying, Beyonce, Rage Against the Machine, Everything Everywhere All at Once, nostalgia, SVU, Now and Then, Aviations band, We want art tips! Email us at wearttacoma@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @wearttacomapod!

The first of a two-part series, Jamika and Katy talk with Tacoma-based writer and activist Nakanee Monique about her art and activism. Nakanee (she/they) has been writing poetry since they were 8 years old and is “inspired by nature, science, literature, and all the great and terrible beauties of this world.” Find Nakanee’s poetry on their Instagram, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lunarrhythm_6/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@Lunarrhythm_6.</a> Nakanee and Jamika have known each other via social media, and met in person this past June at a protest in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Nakanee shares their experiences as an activist artist, and their philosophy that art can change the word. Nakanee closes this episode with a reading of part 1 of their poem, Listen. Shout outs and topics include protesting, writing, pandemic healing and recovery, safe spaces, procrastination, the creative process, chaos, setting the mood, fountain pens, artmaking tools, thievery,  journaling, public speaking, dismantling the patriarchy, comedy, community-building, grief, fear, racism, vulnerability, Kate Bush, gatekeeping, rituals, crying, Beyonce, Rage Against the Machine, Everything Everywhere All at Once, nostalgia, SVU, Now and Then, Aviations band, We want art tips! Email us at wearttacoma@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/wearttacomapod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@wearttacomapod</a>!