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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
Q&A with poet Arielle Estoria
Southern California spoken -word poet Arielle
Estoria is the author of two self-published poetry
collections, 2014’s “Vagabonds and Zealots” and
2017’s “Write Bloody Spill Pretty,” as well as an
in-demand keynote speaker. At 12:30 p.m. Feb. 12,
Estoria will present a virtual program on unlock-
ing one’s gifts and finding beauty within through
words and storytelling. Her presentation is part of
Central Oregon Community College’s inaugural
Black History Month slate of events, which begins
at 12:30 p.m. Friday with a program by Bend artist,
poet and musician M Osley W Otta.
The free, all-virtual Black History Month events
are part of COCC’s broader Season of Nonviolence
programming, featuring events honoring non-
violent advocacy for human rights. All programs
will be presented via Zoom, and registration is
required. Visit tinyurl.com/nonseason to see all
events and register.
How did you get connected with COCC?
Did they track you down and ask you to do
the program?
Blakelee (Evans, COCC’s Afro-Centric pro-
gram coordinator) actually went to my
same university (Azusa Pacific University), so he
was familiar with me through college.
What do you have planned for the pro-
gram?
I chatted with Blakelee a little bit, just about
what the setting and what the tone is, and
what kind of messages that are trying to be con-
veyed, so I’m going to do a patch of speaking, too,
and then also a more an interactive workshop
as well. I find that storytelling in itself, there is a
bridge that is connected when we can hear an “us”
and a “we” and not just an “I.” I’ll be speaking a lit-
tle bit on my own experiences as a black woman,
what that looked like for me growing up, and then
also give space for listeners or audience to do the
same for themselves with different prompts. One
of the prompts is a poem I like to call an “I am”
poem, where they describe themselves using as-
pects of nature, adjectives, simile and comparison
and also ingredients. So when you think of mak-
ing up who you are as a human being, what are
those ingredients that are included in who you
are. And so I will share quotes as well from people
Q:
A:
Q:
A:
Submitted photo
Spoken word poet Arielle Estoria will lead an online program on Feb. 12 as part of COCC’s inaugural Black History Month series.
in my own life who have led me to understand-
ing my identity and who I am and how that looks
when operating in the world.
Nice. How did you arrive at spoken word?
Q:
A:
My background is mostly in theater. At first,
a lot of my poetry started as monologues
… usually historical figures, like Emmett Till’s
mother and Coretta Scott King. I started to write
these monologues, (from) the perspective of
them. I figured if, for theater, I can step into the
vulnerability of other people, then for poetry I can
step into my own, and share my own, and share
my own story. I didn’t start really getting involved
with spoken word until I got to Azusa Pacific, and
it just became how I interpreted the world the
most. … Poetry just became how I process the
world, myself, space and everything in between.
You have two self-published collections out
now, right? Do you have another book
coming out? I saw your tweet the other day about
waiting to hear from your editor.
I do. I’m in the process of writing, right now,
and this will be my first non-self-published
work of art. I’ll actually be signed with a publisher,
HarperOne Books, and so this will be my first book
underneath a publisher. (It will be published in
Spring 2022.)
Q:
A:
Q:
A:
Congratulations. Are the poems taking a
certain shape, or a certain theme?
Yeah, so the theme, or the conversation, is the
unfolding. It’s just my own personal journey
with unraveling old narrative, relearning what it
looks like to establish yourself as an adult. … Some-
times, they don’t always match who your families or
your parents believe. It’s been that journey of figur-
ing out what that looks like for me. It’s this constant
process of growth and expansion, so there will be
poems, and inside … six different categories, like
“The Illuminating,” “The Eclipsing,” “The Returning.”
Those are the general ideas I’ve had so far.
David Jasper, The Bulletin
national bestsellers
Here are the bestsellers for the week that ended
Saturday, Jan. 23, compiled from data from independent
and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and
independent distributors nationwide.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. V.E. Schwab. Tor
2. The Vanishing Half. Brit Bennett. Riverhead
3. Neighbors. Danielle Steel. Delacorte
4. Before She Disappeared. Lisa Gardner. Dutton
5. The Return. Nicholas Sparks. Grand Central
6. The Midnight Library. Matt Haig. Viking
7. The Push. Ashley Audrain. Viking/Dorman
8. A Time for Mercy. John Grisham. Doubleday
9. Deadly Cross. James Patterson. Little, Brown
10. Ready Player Two. Ernest Cline. Ballantine
MASS MARKET
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. The Lost and Found Bookshop. Susan Wiggs. Avon
2. A Minute to Midnight. David Baldacci. Grand Central
3. Shadows in Death. J.D. Robb. St. Martin’s
4. The Inn. Patterson/Fox. Grand Central
5. An Irish Wish. Nora Roberts. Silhouette
6. Bitter Pill. Fern Michaels. Zebra
7. Finally You. Debbie Macomber. Mira
8. Moral Compass. Danielle Steel. Dell
9. Preacher’s Carnage. William W. Johnstone. Pinnacle
10. Bridgerton: The Duke and I (TV tie-in). Julia Quinn.
Avon
1. A Promised Land. Barack Obama. Crown
2. Keep Sharp. Sanjay Gupta. Simon & Schuster
3. Greenlights. Matthew McConaughey. Crown
4. Caste. Isabel Wilkerson. Random House
5. Forgiving What You Can’t Forget. Lysa TerKeurst.
Nelson
6. Untamed. Glennon Doyle. Dial
7. Fast This Way. Dave Asprey. Harper Wave
8. Rebuilding Milo. Aaron Horschig. Victory Belt
9. Magnolia Table, Vol. 2. Joanna Gaines. Morrow
10. A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. George Saunders.
Random House
TRADE PAPERBACK
1. Business Made Simple. Donald Miller.
HarperCollins Leadership
2. Quit Like a Woman. Holly Whitaker. Dial
3. Bridgerton: The Duke and I (TV tie-in). Julia Quinn.
Avon
4. The Dutch House. Ann Patchett.
Harper Perennial
5. Home Body. Rupi Kaur. Andrews McMeel
6. Blindside. Patterson/Born. Grand Central
7. The Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook. Jeffrey Eisner.
Voracious
8. News of the World (movie tie-in). Paulette Jiles.
Morrow
9. The Truths We Hold. Kamala Harris. Penguin
10. Burn After Writing (pink). Sharon Jones.
TarcherPerigee