Interdisciplinary artist and educator avery r. young is a 3Arts Awardee, Cave Canem fellow and a co-director of The Floating Museum. His poetry and prose has been featured in anthologies such as; featured in BreakBeat Poets, Teaching Black,, Poetry Magazine and alongiside images in photographer Cecil McDonald Jr’s, In The Company of Black. As artist-in-residence at the University of Chicago, young created a series of assemblage and sculpture along with his first recording, booker t. soltreyne: a race rekkid. His theater credits include co-writing and co-producing the soundtrack for Lise Haller Baggeson’s Hatorgrade Retrograde: The Musical and writing the libretto for The Chicago Lyric Opera’s Twilight: Gods. His performance and visual work has been exhibited and/or presented at The Art Institute, The Museum of Contemporary Art, The National Jazz Museum and other institutions. An award winning teaching artist, young co-mentors the Rebirth Poetry Ensemble. He is the featured vocalist on Nicole Mitchell’s Mandorla Awakening and has tours planned with his band de deacon board. Young’s latest full length recording tubman. is the soundtrack to his first collection of visual and traditional poetry, neckbone: visual verses.

collard green garden
or wessyde note #4

fo(r) norf, ms [or chicago, il]

in backyard
off alley
offerin meech
a place to toss
& catch football
wif poo

church mudda
remembers cornbread
& buttermilk
after day
of pickin cotton
place(is) green(s)
jalepeno(s)
tomato(s)
onion(s)

inside
bucket

her singin

     sweet home
     i gotta beautiful home

in lilac duster
& matchin slipper(s)

smellin of grass
& black diamond
perfume

sun & sky
copper