November 08, 2021

Natasha Wright - On Poetry Fueling Self Empowerment

40 minutes

This week on I Offer Poetry Elizabeth and her guest, Natasha Wright, discuss the inimitable power of Maya Angelou.

Natasha lives in Washington, D.C. and currently serves as the Senior Advisor in the Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In this role, Natasha is responsible for developing and implementing many of ACF’s strategic initiatives. Prior to starting this role in April 2021, she served for two years as a legislative analyst within the Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget at ACF.

Our guest brings in the famous poem ‘Still I Rise’ and tells us about how these words continue to resonate at every age she revisits them. After explaining she was coached by her mom into performing this poem for a childhood talent show, Natasha also reveals she had the opportunity to audit a class taught by Maya Angelou in college.

We examine the different lenses of self respect and confidence Angelou weaves into her writing and the evolution of femininity throughout. Natasha also opens up about how the line “Still I rise” comes to her in tough moments and what it means to embrace her natural instincts to lead others and make life better for those around her.

“[Maya Angelou] is truly embracing her femininity through this poem, [asking] 'does my sexiness upset you?' Because that is just who she is. Why are we trying to hide it, or mask it, or make it less than; to make others feel comfortable, to the detriment of ourselves?

Timestamps:

00:00:44 Guest Introduction

00:03:28 Poem Reading (Natasha)

00:05:30 Author Info

00:08:35 Natasha’s Relationship to the Poem

00:19:08 Pause / Poem Reading (Elizabeth)

00:34:38 Reflection & Offering

Poem & Links:

Still I Rise (Live Performance, Maya Angelou)

Invictus by William Ernest Henley

I.O.P. Lexicon:

Haughtiness: (noun) full of scorn; derisive; contemptuous