The bois and femmes are talking.
we was bois together by Kelsey L. Smoot Poetry Reading and Author Chat recap and live audio recording
On Sunday, August 11th, 2024 I hosted an author chat with my dear friend, poet, and scholar Kelsey L. Smooth at the Salt Eaters Bookshop in Inglewood, California.
Kelsey and I met in the before times of 2019 in LA at a natural hair salon. Naturally, when well read Black queer folks meet, it started off as a flirtation that has smoothly settled into a genuine friendship that I deeply value. When connecting in my current city of Los Angeles, Kelz’ city of Atlanta, or just over the phone, our conversations always lead us to sharing the theories we are actively developing around our experiences within Blackness, gender, sexuality, and our artistry.
One of my favorite things about talking with Kelz is the safety we have created to share our most vulnerable, precarious, and deeply held beliefs on Queer desirability and Blackness as a gender. To the uncaring ear, I’m sure we sound like we’re at opposing sides of the many gender wars working their way through our popular culture, online lukewarm takes, and queer party spaces. But in actuality, we’re practicing a necessary type of vulnerability that doesn’t require us to say the right thing in the right way all the damn time. Instead we give ourselves room to be honest with ourselves, each other, and how our bodies position us in a society that is overwhelmingly dominated by white supremacy capitalist patriarchy.
This year Kelsey released his first chapbook of poetry entitled we was bois together. This collection of poems “examines identities and belonging through the lenses of Blackness, queerness, and gender non-conforming narratives. The poems act as an homage and an ode to traversing these identities from childhood through adulthood…Central to the narrative is "boihood worldmaking," a term coined by the author to express the collaborative process of shaping their own realities and narratives.” as described by Mouthfeel Press. As a reader, I have experienced this offering as a poignant snapshot of the most resonant experiences that make Kelsey a timely and imperative writer of this time.
It was an easy “Yes!” when Kelsey invited me to be in dialogue with him as a part of the roll out for this work– even though I am without question not one of the bois. As you can imagine, works like this don’t come into existence without being in conversation with the intricacies of Black womanhood and lesbian gender identities which is where I and my cultural work resides.
In a perfect world, this talk would be at least two hours long with many follow ups! We covered as much as time would allow. But more importantly, it was a pleasure to hear some of Kelsey’s poems off the page, in the air, amongst a mostly Black and queer audience in the Black queer woman owned Salt Eaters Bookshop. This is the recording I present to you all today– a new-ish archival practice I’m introducing to my Toxic Femininity Substack community.
Additionally, a practice I’m deepening is curating a few vinyl records from my personal collection that speak to the cultural conversations that I find myself taking part in. For this talk with Kelsey Smooth, I pulled the following bodies of work that I invite you to listen to after engaging with this talk.
A Man and A Woman by Isaac Hates & Dionne Warwick (1977): Featuring Isaac Hayes and Dionne Warwick’s duet “A Man and a Women”, this album was a recorded live performance that took place at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Hayes and Warwick recorded this album at what was the considered a height in both of their careers despite the body of work being a lesser known but beloved by long time fans. I love this album because while they do compliment each other vocally, their difference in their public personals couldn’t be more different. Isaac Hayes is literally singing about being a sexy nigga alongside Dione’s desires for every lasting love. To know me is to know I’m the Isaac Hayes type.
Wendell & Wild (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) Music by Bruno Coulais (2023): This album features music composed by Bruno Coulais for the 2022 stop-motion animated film Wendell & Wild, directed by Henry Selick. I love this record because the music reaches across genres to include features by Ibeyi, Doechii with a mix of punk and afro punk that brilliantly soundtracks the main character Kat’s triumphantly rebellious coming of age story. One of the central characters in Wendell & Wild is Raúl, a transgender boy voiced by Sam Zelaya. Raúl is a close friend of the protagonist, Kat, a young Black girl. Raúl’s friendship with Kat represents one of the few instances of a trans character in a major animated film, especially in a role that isn’t defined solely by their trans identity. The music and the movie are amazing.
Nona Hendryx by Nona Hendryx (1977): Nona Hendryx's self-titled debut album, Nona Hendryx (1977), marks a significant moment in her career as she transitioned from being a member of the iconic R&B group Labelle featuring Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash, and Nona, to establishing herself as a solo artist. This album showcases her versatility as a singer, songwriter, and producer, blending rock, funk, and soul in a way that was ahead of its time. In the recording of the we was bois together talk, you’ll hear Kelsey talk about their love for the show the L Word, a complicated sapphic classic! Nona Hendryx is one of the many featured musical artists who made an appearance on the show as a Black queer woman herself. Yes, the Labelle’s was made possible by the artistry of a Black queer woman! Of course it was!
I hope you enjoy listening to this Sunday talk as much as I enjoyed being a part of it.
You can purchase we was bois together by Kelsey L. Smooth HERE.
