K. Desireé Milwood
K. Desireé Milwood is a Brooklyn-born Panamanian American poet and author, currently based in Newark. She focuses her practice on haiku, the three-phrase Japanese poetry, but giving it a non-traditional, thought-provoking twist. In 2016, she published “Poems for My Namesake” and in 2019 was one of the artists featured in “A Womb of Violet: An Anthology”. She has performed poetry since 2004 and has hosted events Fermented Grapes, Mixology, Speak & Eat, and People’s Open Mic. She is also the lead singer and frontwoman for The Band Called Fuse, which combines hip hop, rock, and soul styles to discuss social & political issues.
About her work in WOV II:
An untitled Haiku and “Don’t let me die in custody” are included in “A Womb of Violet: Volume II.” While the haiku was cried out in response to George Floyd’s death, the second poem speaks more generally to violence against Black people (“Make sure there are reporters for my story / So there aren’t more untold stories to fight for Black lives are worth fighting for”) and specifically Black women, whose stories are not talked about as much. About “Don’t let me die in custody” the author said it was a way of reconciling how she felt watching the news, bodies in the front pages, dehumanized.
You can learn more about her at kdesireemilwood.com