The Art of Eating a Pomegranate is really the title but to think of life, well— When I was asked to give a keynote address at the donning of the stoles, I said yes, and shelved the task of preparing a speech, hoping that in good time, something profound would emerge. You see, I am […]
About MKB
Mildred Kiconco Barya is a North Carolina-based writer, educator, and poet of East African descent. She teaches and lectures globally, and is the author of four full-length poetry collections, most recently "The Animals of My Earth School" released by Terrapin Books, 2023. Her prose, hybrids, and poems have appeared in Shenandoah, Joyland, The Cincinnati Review, Tin House, New England Review, and elsewhere. She’s now working on a collection of creative nonfiction, and her essay, “Being Here in This Body”, won the 2020 Linda Flowers Literary Award and was published in the North Carolina Literary Review. She serves on the boards of African Writers Trust, Story Parlor, and coordinates the Poetrio Reading events at Malaprop’s Independent Bookstore/Café. She blogs here: www.mildredbarya.com
Reading coming up October 6 @ my fav bookstore, Malaprop’s
I recently started coordinating Poetrio Events with Malaprop’s, which means every first Sunday of the month you can find me hanging out with three poets who have published new books. We invite three different poets to read at the bookstore and I’m excited to be reading as well and also getting introduced to the public […]
Amusing Things
I played an interesting game yesterday. When I got out of bed, I did not immediately get a sense of how my first hour of writing would go. Still, I approached my creation room. I sat down and felt a dull neutrality. I thought about words. I looked outside the window. I went to […]
May we enjoy the lives we have chosen
At what point does a heart give up? As if there’s a singular moment in time instead of a steady build-up weakening up to the day, the hour, the second…a slowing down of one’s life to that final time when the last breath is drawn. As if we’re not passing on each day, getting close and […]
Abandonment or Freedom—the Shoes of Life
Since my arrival in Portland a few days ago, I’ve been struck by the number of shoes—pairs or singles— left abandoned on sidewalks, parks or roadside. Mostly men’s, they vary in size, color, shape, and state of disrepair. Some are coated with dirt and mud, others spring clean, almost new. Only […]
A Case for More
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the character Oliver Twist, so much so that I’ve revisited the text for fresh insights. When I first read Dicken’s novel many years ago, what stayed in my mind was the suffering part, the misfortunes of all the numerous children and criminals of the industrial period but most […]
A Timeless Lesson from the Poppies
We’re near the end of a year, which makes me cast my eyes back as if to make sense of how to sum it up, but I admit, this is not a year in review blog, but rather, a focus on a singular moment that spills multiple points in me. It begins with poppies. Not […]
Enter the Silence, a meditation
I will sometimes have a theme running through the different phases of my life, and that theme will be connected or inspired by a particular author’s work. Wendell Berry, for instance, began my semester and ushered in moments of reflection, gratitude, and a quiet presence. I immersed myself in his essays and poems whenever I […]
Coming Home to Self
Home means different things to people. As a concept and definition, it interests me to no end, and some of my most animated conversations, no doubt, have been about the idea or place of home. I have written extensively about it in both my poetry and creative nonfiction, and I continue to delight in discovering […]
Shuddering Expansion/Where home is
When love ends, It becomes a memory. If it abides, It never ends. My unending/abiding inquiry into the complex understanding of home, interwoven with love, is now housed in Asymptote’s July issue. It includes an audio version of the hybrid essay, Shuddering Expansion/Where home is, read by yours, truly. If you’re curious about […]
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MKB: Dear Nyakisa, Good news! "The Animals of My Earth...
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Nyakisa Beth: Will it be available in Uganda?...
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Wm Epes: Dr. Barya: Hope you are well. Enj...
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