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

Kesiah’s Work

Issue 1 / Issue 2 / Issue 3 / Issue 4

Are you a Black author interested in having your work published in the Awake? Complete your submission here.