Voracious DPC:

The journal of an omnivorous reader, nerd for the arts, and believer in the public good.

Maya Angelou’s mission in life

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” -Maya Angelou

January 25, 2022
Thinking about bell hooks

When bell hooks passed away last month, the tributes and remembrances were immediate. No one expected the fierce and brilliant hooks to go rest with the ancestors so soon. She was powerful in so many ways. bell hooks showed us transformational ideas could be easy to understand. She gave language to ways of thinking about…

January 24, 2022
5 Songs For The End of The Week

“Cultivate your own aesthetic and your own universe. Create your own universe and share it with people you respect and love. “ -André Leon Talley Many greats have covered this gospel classic. LaVern Baker’s interpretation builds on Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s version, transforming it into a foundational Rock N’Roll record. In the pantheon of great Aretha…

January 23, 2022
5 Songs For The End of The Week

Cooking and contemplating playlists are among my favorite procrastination activities. These are five of the songs that kept me company this week. I made stews, cookies, and didn’t do what I was supposed to be doing. “Trust your obsessions. They know you best. They will be things responsible for your survival.” –Shefon Taylor, artist

December 18, 2021
5 Songs For The End of The Week

Only three more Fridays left in 2021. The new year is almost here. Congratulations on making it through another week! “Tomorrow belongs to those of us who conceive of it as belonging to everyone; who lend the best of ourselves to it, and with joy.” -Audre Lorde Faith & Majesty crossed my path as I…

December 12, 2021
5 Songs For The End of The Week

“No one is loved like musicians. Musicians are loved by people, really loved, because they give them the ability to express their emotions and their memories. There’s no other form that does that.” -Fran Lebowitz, “Pretend It’s a City”

November 13, 2021
Links For The Voracious

“Any movement working toward liberation and justice must be accessible—and that’s the conversation we hope this series continues.” Count me in. Checkout the Access Series, a collaboration between Bitch magazine and the Disability Visibility Project. “Democracy’s Defenders” Helen Butler, LaTosha Brown, and Nsé Ufot on what it means to work for justice and liberation. This…

November 11, 2021
Happy Shirley Chisholm Day!

53 years ago today in 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress. May her work for justice continue to inspire and motivate us. “I am and always will be a catalyst for change.”

November 5, 2021
“My thing, what I hope to do all the time is to be so completely myself, that my audiences and even people who meet me are confronted. They’re confronted with what I am inside and out, as honest as I can be. In this way they have to see things about themselves immediately.” -Nina Simone

October 31, 2021
In Celebration of Sonia Sanchez

Sonia Sanchez’s poetry has been held close. Her words have been memorized, recited, and read by eager minds for generations. Reveling in her rhythms is an exploration. Readers continue to find tremendous beauty and profound truth in her words. Earlier this month, Ms. Sanchez was awarded the Gish Prize for her poetry and activism. According…

October 29, 2021