Empowered Poet: Juliane Okot Bitek
If she could, Juliane would spend the rest of her life reading and writing. Her first book, a collection of poetry: Words in Black Cinnamon was published by Delina Press in 1998.
World Poetry International Festival was honoured to present her on May 14-15, 2011 (media partner: The Afro News.
Juliane’s essays, short fiction and poetry have been widely published in print and on the internet. One of her short stories, “Going Home,” won a special mention in the 2005 Commonwealth Short Story Award and was featured on both the CBC and the BBC. Her work has been published in Canada, United States, Uganda and Britain. Juliane lives with her family in Vancouver and is excited to begin her doctoral studies as a Liu Scholar at the University of British Columbia this fall.
Juliane’s views on poetry:
“I’m interested in how words can play with meaning and the possibilities that lie in layering a poem that can be read for beauty, for emotional appeal, for colour and sometimes for a deeper meaning that depends on the reader. It forces me to observe how many different combinations that words can be employed in and still be beautiful.”
Purple is to Lavender
(Alice Walker)
Purple is to lavender
What crimson is to red blood
Gushing through the sin-stained heart
Purple is to lavender
What royal is to blue
Sky, blue blood, blue day blues
Purple is to lavender
What light is to the absence of white
On your wedding day, wedding night
Wading, wading muck
Purple is to lavender
What right is
In the face of right ways
Right rules
Right, might, height
Purple is to lavender
What crimson is to red
Heartache to love
Blue days white nights
And you
Juliane Okot Bitek ©
