Surrealist blues poet and cultural worker aja monet has released another moving single from her forthcoming album when the poems do what they do, slated for release June 9 via drink sum wtr, a new imprint of Secretly Canadian. “for sonia” is a love poem for the legendary poet Sonia Sanchez and the inspiration behind the project’s title. Touching on the intimacy of the struggles behind the freedom movements and the elitism of poetry, the track pays homage to Black radical traditions of the poets who came before us, layered over a full-band avant-jazz instrumental including trumpet from Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (fka Christian Scott) and keys from Samora Pinderhughes.
As previewed by the recently released pieces “the devil you know” and “castaway,” when the poems do what they do centers around themes of Black resistance, love, and the inexhaustible quest for joy. The album is a potent demonstration of monet’s indefatigable commitment to speak, her poems manifesting as a work of gravity that move constantly between origin and outcome, allowing them to exist in converse. Though she’s had music collaborations throughout her career, the album marks a new apex of her work in the medium. Meanwhile the accolades for her poetry include the legendary Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam poetry award title in 2007, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award for Poetry in 2019, and an NAACP Literary Award nomination for Poetry in 2018.
Pre-save / pre-order when the poems do what they do
Watch the short film for “castaway”
Watch the short film for “the devil you know”
https://drinksumwtr.lnk.to/the_devil_you_know
