First Furious Flower poet-in-residence

Right after the spring semester ended at James Madison University, the Furious Flower Poetry Center hosted its first poet-in-residence. From May 18 to June 1, 2016, DaMaris Hill, PhD stayed at a JMU guest house to develop her forthcoming collection of poetry, an exploration of the experiences of several women of resistance. In part, this work reflects and responds to Angela Davis’ canonical Women, Race, & Class (1981), which examines the women’s movement in relationship to the struggle for civil rights.

“The consequences for Black women in political action are so much more extreme” than for anyone else, Hill notes, which provides ample historical and contemporary stories to retell in poetry, sometimes fiery and defiant, sometimes desperate, and always assertive in the face of convention.

Each poem in Hill’s work delves into the story of an individual woman — Grace Jones, Assata Shakur, Ruby McCollum, Joan Little, Zora Neale Hurston, Sonia Sanchez, Lucy Sale, Eartha Kitt, Sandra Bland, et al. — and the book ends with scholarly biographies of each.

Hill is assistant professor of English, Creative Writing, and African American and Africana Studies at the University of Kentucky. 

Thank you to JMU’s Office of International Programs for arranging housing for our guest poet.

Below: DaMaris Hill on her scholarly interests, current projects and courses, her love of teaching, and her favorite writers