Divination – afrose fatima ahmed
After a series of personal transitions, 2017 Jack Straw Writer afrose fatima ahmed went from “running around and achieving” to spending a year and a half on the Olympic Peninsula to be with herself in nature. Her collection of poems blood gold and honey, which grew out of poetry commissions at farmer’s markets and festivals, has become an intricate tarot deck with accompanying rituals. When she sat down with curator Jourdan Imani Keith, they discussed the idea of poetic divination being a tool to reach into your subconscious and experiencing connection and reflection through the work. “If somebody buys the deck and chooses to use it as a tarot deck, or to pull a card for inspiration or contemplation . . . they’re continuing to create the story of each poem. They’ll be embodying it, and the meaning that they draw from it will be theirs.”
Music by the Steve Griggs Ensemble, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.
