Howdy from The La Digga Report!

Dear folks,

It's February. Can you believe it? Towards the end of my little hit as a Featured Blogger on Poetry Foundation's Harriet, I crashed. The passage of Amiri Baraka is still deep on the mind since January. A handful of old friends and acquaintances I either ran into or shared cab rides, train rides and NJ buses with to attend the wake and funeral. Nothing I could write here in 150 words could describe the love we witnessed for this man. It took me a week to find myself though I admit, I am still searching for who am I and what do I represent in the context of art, literature and community.

I've been constantly returning to a Maori saying: "Aroha mai, Aroha atu." There are two interpretations I know of but one I find as something to keep me focused these days. Thank you Sarah for sharing it with me.

Two weeks ago, my last pieces for Poets and Writers were posted. You can read them here. I wrote about finding one's creative lineage, DIY publishing, my favorite bookstore in East Harlem and the role of the curator. And for Poetry Society of America, an awesome line-up of poets and myself were invited to answer one question.

And yes, there are quiet moments and times when it is not the case. In other news, the second printing of TwERK arrived and is back in stock at Belladonna and SPD. SPD has a special discount code (SPDU for 40% off) on a number of books they carry. TwERK is one of them. The offer ends February 15. This Monday, I will be reading at KGB Bar. Maybe you'll drop by?

Mad love and blessings to you all for reading The La Digga Report in 2013. 2014 should be quite fun. And if you need to unsubscribe, I'll understand and rub some Neosporin on the puncture to heal it up quickly.

El amor que viene acerca, el amor que sale de nosotros, LaT

February 2014

Feb. 10, 7:30 PM
KGB Monday Night Poetry Series
LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs and Jillian Weise

Feb 15
Greg Tate's REBELLUM,
Melvin Van Peebles's Laxative and Funk Face
(I'm reading a poem about a stripper among other things)
Blind Eye Speakeasy
471 Dekalb btw Kent and Franklin, Brooklyn
Password to get in: Heavy Sugar
10 at the door B4 Midnight / 5 After Midnight

Feb. 20
Columbia University

March 2014

March 20, 7:00 PM
Rain Taxi Reading Series
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis

March 31
New York University

April 2014

April 5, 2 - 4:00 PM
Tribute to Amiri Baraka
The Poetry Project, Saint Marks Church