Prayer is a constant ritual used in Christian tradition. What does it mean when prayer is used to silence our grievances in the world of our grievances in our minds?
In this talk, Maya talks about rituals they have grown to love, rituals they have grown to question, and rituals that bring a righteous anger in them as a mentally ill suicide survivor who has faced so much grief in a short span of twenty-eight years. Please note: In this talk,Maya shares poems about religious-related trauma, grief, suicide, and family-related trauma.
About the speaker
Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a religious Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who was selected as Portland, ME's seventh poet laureate for a July 2021 to July 2024 term. Maya received a MFA in Creative Writing with a Focus in Poetry from Randolph College in June 2022.
Eir debut poetry collection Judas & Suicide (Game Over Books, 2023) was selected as a finalist for a New England Book Award. Their second poetry collection, Refused a Second Date (Harbor Editions, 2023), was selected as a finalist for a Maine Literary Award. Their third poetry collection, What's So Wrong with a Pity Party Anyway?, was selected as one of four winners of Garden Party Collective's chapbook prize in 2024.
Maya was one of three artists of color selected to represent Maine in The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series in 2020, one of The Advocate's Champions of Pride in 2022, and one of Maine Humanities Council's recipients of the Constance Carlson Public Humanities Prize in 2024. You can follow more of eir work at mayawilliamspoet.com.
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