What makes an outsider afraid to enter a pre-constructed space? How much blood do they leave at the door? Are there spaces that don’t require bloodletting? This work started with exploring the male-dominated spaces women are locked out of, explored in poems ‘found’ from newspapers since the media, especially tabloids, is an unforgivable example of a male- dominated space that objectifies and condemns the female body. It went on to spaces from which people with cross-cultural identities are excluded. People like me who have found a new space in the guise of non-belonging. There are safe spaces. Accessing them begins with knowing yourself.
Gloria KiconcoGloria Kiconco is a Ugandan poet, journalist, and editor. Her poetry has been published in Brittle Paper and Lawino. She has written articles for STARTjournal of the arts, The Forager Magazine, and lettera27’s column on Doppiozero, Why Africa? She often recites her work in Kampala at Poetry-in-session. Gloria’s struggle with a cross-cultural and complex identity is central to her writing. She digests these issues through written poetry, spoken word performances, and experimental visual poetry.
You can find more of her writing on her blog, Rhymesbythereams.
