COVID meditations from literary phenom Otoniya J. Okot Bitek
Rife with the paradoxical forces of boredom and intensity, the early days of COVID-19 passed under an inescapable pall. The poems of Song & Dread seek quietude, order, refuge, and space within that shroud. They remind us of community, connectedness, and what is inherently shared. Here Otoniya J. Okot Bitek becomes a record keeper, observing the contradictory, symbiotic relationship between the quotidian and the extraordinary. These works are of their time, while remembering an existence outside it. With a keen eye, Okot Bitek documents the ways the strange can become normalized when there is no other option.
“The poems and poem of Song & Dread loops and swirls through language, song and thread, returning regularly to earlier points, allowing the structure of the extended sequence to propel that much further, forward.”—rob mclennan, periodicities
…and unweaving an awe-inducing lyric spell. Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek is a powerful reflection …
…nikihci-âniskotâpân by Wanda John-Kehewin , Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek , HARROWINGS by Cecily …
…Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek may have just launched … the sum of their parts. The poems and poem of Song & Dread loops and swirls through language, song and …
…Hot off the press! Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek is here and ready to win … passed under an inescapable pall. The poems of Song & Dread seek quietude, order, refuge, and space within …
…This year, we have an extra reason to celebrate: Song & Dread , the new poetry collection by Otoniya J. Okot … now they leave no footprints” Pick up a copy of Song & Dread for a sweet Pi Day treat. …
…nikihci-âniskotâpân by Wanda John-Kehewin , Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek , Refabulations: …
…pakosêyimow, nikihci-âniskotâpân , Song & Dread , Uiesh / Somewhere , and A Net of Momentary … personal experience, and Indigenous resilience. Song & Dread by Otoniya J. Okot Bitek observes the …
…delighted to announce that the poetry collection Song & Dread is forthcoming from the amazing poet and scholar … and Gender Studies Departments. The poems in Song & Dread meditate on the symbiotic, paradoxical …