Friends and book lovers, I’m wrapping up my one-month residence in California with two readings: One at Sausalito Library (Wednesday June 28 at 7pm) and the second at Adobe Books in San Francisco (Thursday June 29 at 7 pm). See the details below. It will be my pleasure to have your presence. Looking forward to seeing […]
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
Power to the alternate memory of history
Do Not Say We Have Nothing, is the most ambitious novel I’ve so far read this year. Madeleine Thien’s 2016 Man Booker finalist is not only ambitious in its narrative structure but also in its memorialization and retelling of the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong’s communist regime. Lovers of fat historical novels will enjoy this book and […]
I’m not Whining, I’m just sayin’ it’s the illusion of competence
In all my blogging years, this, I think is the first blog post I’m writing from a teaching perspective. I’ll make it short. I’ve always preferred to blog as a writer, reader, book reviewer, and so on, but strange events over the past few days have made me reflect on my work as a teaching […]
Remind Me of What We Have
Today is the last day of class and it coincides with the passing on of my father. Exactly one year. I’m filled with warmth and gratitude for all the love and comforting presences of my friends and family. There’s this phrase playing in my head again and again: Remind me of what we have. I […]
Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad Invites Us to Commune with the Past
This book will break your heart then mend it and break it again. The history of slavery is a loaded cannon but Colson softens the blow without diminishing the cruel realities of that era by converting the metaphor […]
Remembering Okla Elliott
Non-stop news of death and dying this week and last week. When that starts to overwhelm I wonder why my friends are dying. Why seemingly everyone I know as a friend, family or colleague is losing a family member or friend. The air is pregnant with death I cannot wait for it to break. I […]
The first Christmas without Dad
This is the first Christmas without Dad. I thought I was going to be strong. I’m trying to be strong. As early as September, the time I normally book my ticket home, I realized I didn’t want to go home for the first time in many years and I knew why. Dad was my Christmas […]
Fires, Rattlesnakes and Bear Burrito
Saturday, October 29, 2016. This was supposed to be a short hike so I could return home in time for an evening party that involved spinning fires. The weather was awesome–upper 70’s with a chance to hit 80, and when you’re in the trees, it’s nice and warm since you get half-n-half of sun and shade. […]
Celebrations
We just celebrated the turning of maples with mapleshapedcookies the hopicecream and applecider It occurred to me how it takes so little to celebrate Back home we only acknowledged big events I know why Birthdays weren’t among the big events But funerals were. And baptisms, marriages–the arc Birth, Weddings, Death. The […]
Paint the Quad poetry
When I was an undergrad many years ago my favorite expression with friends was, “Let’s go paint the town red” and red we did paint wherever we ended up. We were in touch with the spirit of freedom, a little bit of anarchy and tons of creativity. College, especially, inspired that kind of liberty. Imagine […]
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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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