Dreaming in Mourning. This item is unavailable.Dreaming in Mourning

Dreaming in Mourning is a collection of poems that invites the reader on a personal journey of grief and loss, gratitude and celebration. Benin Lemus is a poet whose words touch directly, yet tenderly, how we show up in the world. Her poems explore complex politics in the 21st Century, motherhood, racial and gender-based violence, and gentrification, yet leaves the reader with plenty of emotional room to laugh and cultivate joy. Inspired by the Black Arts Movement poets and their descendants, Benin’s voice pays homage to the greats, yet she walks her own path. From pastoral poems to villanelles and ghazals, her creativity as a poet never loses the mission of her work: to use language that is accessible and inviting to everyday readers and return to the resting place of radical love.

Benin Lemus (she/her) is a poet, librarian, and artist-educator based in South Los Angeles. She earned a B.A. from Bennett College in North Carolina and an MFA in Film & Television Production from the University of Southern California. She is a 2022 Inaugural Workshop Fellow with Obsidian Magazine's OSessions: Black Listening-A Performance Master Class and Honorable Mention in the Furious Flower Poetry Center's annual poetry competition. Benin's work can be found online and in print. She has performed at FreeVerse Festival, LitFest Pasadena, Boca de Oro Festival, Center Theatre Group, and World Stage Performance Gallery, among others. Learn more at beninlemus.com