Sunday June 4 * 2 pm * TICKETS
The authors of Breaking the Blank, Rebecca Bishophall and Dwayne Lawson-Brown, and I’d Rather Be Called a Nerd, Dominic “Nerd” McDonald, will read from and discuss their poetry collections at this event. Both books were published by the DC-based nonprofit and publisher Day Eight.
About Breaking the Blank and its authors
Breaking the Blank is a spirited dialogue between poets—and a meditation on love, parenting, gentrification, money, and the literary life. In accessible free verse, haiku, sonnets, and other forms, Dwayne Lawson-Brown and Rebecca Bishophall honor the African American experience, make sacred the ordinary, and remind the reader of the marvelous in the everyday.
“Breaking the Blank is a contemporary treasure.” —Sistah Joy, Poet Laureate of Prince George’s County, Maryland
“Crisp, riveting, and often tender meditations on love, parenting, and—to paraphrase the title of a National Public Radio program—This African American Life.” —Reuben Jackson, author of fingering the keys and Scattered Clouds: New & Selected Poems
Rebecca Bishophall and Dwayne Lawson-Brown met each other as juniors in high school in the late 1990s and have been literary colleagues, and friends, ever since. Rebecca Bishophall has featured at Spit Dat, Afrocentric Book Expo, and others, and works in member services for a non-profit organization. She graduated from Trinity University in 2006 with a major in Communications. Dwayne Lawson-Brown, aka the Crochet Kingpin, is co-host of Spit Dat, the longest running open mic in Washington, D.C. Their poems were recently published in 2022 Pride Poems, they co-authored the Helen Hayes nominated play, From Gumbo to Mumbo, and they are an editor of the literary magazine Bourgeon.
For more information about the book, or to purchase it, visit Day Eight’s online bookstore.
About I’d Rather Be Called a Nerd and its author
Dominic “Nerd” McDonald, the 2022 DC Poet Project winner, is the author of I’d Rather Be Called a Nerd, a memoir-in-poems that fearlessly details the author’s intersecting experiences of repression and self-development. The worlds of hip hop, higher education, and literature combine in this book as an anthem for nerds everywhere.
"McDonald shines brightly and lights the path for those who will walk it next." —Susan Scheid, author of After Enchantment
"Dominic McDonald sets expectations high and proceeds to smash them consistently." —Dwayne Lawson-Brown, author of Breaking the Blank
Dominic “Nerd” McDonald is a Black entrepreneur and spoken word artist from various cities in Los Angeles, California. He has put his views on growing up in the inner city between two households, hip hop music, being a social outcast, college experiences, and more, into poetry, screenplays, and magazine articles. His passion comes from serving the community, especially through the arts. By writing from his heart and what he sees and hears, he hopes to be a “change agent” for the unheard. His journey led him to the DC Metro area six years ago, where he spreads influential messages and supports others who walk the same path.
For more information about the book, or to purchase it, visit Day Eight’s online bookstore.
About Day Eight
The mission of Day Eight is to empower individuals and communities to participate in the arts through the production, publication, and promotion of creative projects. https://dayeight.org/about/