Issue 1

Issue 1 of Awake boasts a variety of poems and art that highlight the opportunities and challenges of cultural assimilation in America, observe identity and culture preservation, and explore double-consciousness.

Featured Poets: Z Bell / Shontay Luna / Davina N. Johnson / Friday Faraday / Connie Patton / Mohamed Elhassan / Kimberly Nhundu / Nailah Mathews / Tricia Lynn Townes / Gyasi L. Asim / Jordan Charlton / Monique Hayes / C.L. Butler

Kesiah Bascom

What started off as a parting gift, became a prompt for the greater exploration of Blackness; a desire to ‘awaken’ society beyond fear and stigma.⁣ Our soul sister, and founder of @offbeetcompost, Kesiah Bascom is the artist behind the cover of Issue 1. ⁣

Kesiah is the founder/owner of OffBeet Compost and has spent the past 7 years working in the sustainable agriculture and food justice realm. Raised in a household with a large garden, she has grown up valuing food and its unifying nature. Prior to starting OffBeet Compost, she was the Community Program Manager at Mill City Grows, a food access organization in Lowell, MA; she also worked at The Food Project as Assistant Grower which deeply influenced her path.

Kesiah has found home in the Merrimack Valley Region, where she has resided for the past few years and launched OffBeet Compost. She works towards a Masters in Public Policy at Tufts University. Learn more at the link below.

Kesiah’s Work

Issue 1 / Issue 2

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