Synkroniciti is thrilled to announce the winner of our “Identity” poetry contest, Akua Lezli Hope’s “Black Orpheus V.” We had wonderful poetry submitted for this theme and there were eight finalists:
Gabriela Manolova, The Demon Woman
Peter Cashorali, Angels
Kate Peper, Self Portrait as a Bell
Akua Lezli Hope, Black Orpheus V
Denise Bossarte, Scarab Envy
Jennifer Maloney, Unchanged
Anne Stewart, Conundrum
Naomi Ruth Lowinsky, Where You Got Your Weird
You will notice that women dominated this theme and captivated our attention. Akua Lezli Hope gave us a portrait of female, particularly black female, individuation that was unique and yet completely relatable, a young woman so full of life, power and promise that she came to life on the page.
“Black Orpheus V” is based on the classic film Black Orpheus (1959), which is based on the play Orfeu da Conceição by Vinicius de Moraes. It retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Euridice set in a favela in Rio de Janiero during Carnaval. “I first saw the movie as a wee girl with my mother on TV and it rocked me world. It was shown more than once on “million Dollar Movie” over the years and it was Eurydice’s struggle and evolution that captivated me. That movie did so much heavy lifting in that era…” Even if you don’t know the movie, Akua’s imagery paints the picture for you. It’s difficult to approach sexuality without descending into the banal and the cliché, but she does so masterfully, infusing Euridice with wonder and innocence that balances her desire to live and become, making Orpheus’ failure all the more poignant. The alliteration and structural repetition within the prose poem format absolutely sings and begs to be read aloud, creating a vibrant and exciting structure. I’ll have more exposition in Akua’s artist feature later this spring.
You will want to read “Black Orpheus V” in Synkroniciti’s “Identity” issue, Vol. 7, No. 1, which makes it’s debut tomorrow. Order your link here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
120 Akua Lezli Hope, a Grand Master of Fantastic Poetry (SFPA) and paraplegic creator of poems, patterns, stories, music, sculpture, & adornments, has been in print since 1974.
Her collections include Embouchure: Poems on Jazz and Other Musics (Writer’s Digest Book Award) & Otherwheres: Speculative Poetry (Elgin Award). A Cave Canem fellow, her honors include NEA & NYFA fellowships; SFPA, Rhysling & IGNYTE awards; NYSCA grants for Afrofuturist, speculative, pastoral poetry & disability poetics.
She created the ongoing Speculative Sundays Poetry Reading series & edited NOMBONO: An Anthology of Speculative Poetry by BIPOC Creators, the first of its kind. Her speculative fiction is included in the celebrated anthologies Dark Matter & Africa Risen. She exhibits her artwork regularly & practices her soprano saxophone.
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