Derrick Austin

he/him

Artist’s Quote

When Symone hits the runway in a do-rag

longer than God’s, bluer than the second day

when He made the sky,

I feel like I have a tray of oysters and champagne

and a manservant to refill my coupe

so I never have to leave my clawfoot tub.

For the first time in months I cry from happiness.

Luminary’s Quote

A do-rag is a part of Black culture, and I wanted to celebrate that on the stage. Ain’t nothing wrong with wearing no do-rag. It is unapologetic. That is very Symone. – Symone

@the_symone, Instagram video. January 23, 2021.

Bio

Derrick Austin is the author of Tenderness, forthcoming from BOA Editions in Fall 2021, and Trouble the Water (BOA Editions). He is a 2019-2021 Stegner Fellow in Poetry at Stanford University. He tweets at @ParadiseLaust.

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