Don't Miss Lateef Dameer's 'Departure/Return'
By Joanna C. Valente
Lateef Dameer just came out with a two-song EP, and you have to listen to it. Luckily, you can. It’s a mashup of modern jazz and hip hop that plays deep within your body. The sounds and beats dig into your bones, creating space and silence and tension wherever you are. At times, the songs feel natural and nostalgic - and other times, the jarring effects remind you of the world we live in now: one that is fast, demanding, ever-changing.
These are songs I will be returning to again and again:
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Sexting Ghosts, Xenos, No(body) (forthcoming, Madhouse Press, 2019), and is the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault. They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes Poetry and the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Them, Brooklyn Magazine, BUST, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente / FB: joannacvalente
