In December of 2024, I visited the Gallatin Galleries for the opening night of “Sinking Upward, Heaven to the Ground”. I was excited to see the exhibition, which explored how marginalized communities confront the violence of displacement by reclaiming memory, space, and identity through art. But more than anything, I was proud to celebrate one of my best friends, Lucy Harmon, who had worked tirelessly to co-curate the show.
The gallery was buzzing, filled with people talking, laughing, and taking in the paintings, photographs, and sculptures. But in the middle of it all, one moment made me pause. A voice stood out, steady and strong. It felt like she was speaking directly to me, as if we already knew each other. That voice belonged to Lorraine Currelley, a poet whose words carry the weight of history and the warmth of care. Her performance was powerful, tender, and deeply moving.
I Wanted - Lorraine Currelley
I wanted so much for myself and even more for u
I wanted dreams, joy and pudding
The love and joy you delighted in withholding from me
Kisses uniting memory to heart
Lit candles placed at love’s altar
And meals lovingly prepared
Not empty gestures given for special occasion
Expecting reward
I wanted so much for myself and even more for u
A smile so sincere it sucked at my lips
Searching hungerly
For my tongue
A celebration of my great crown
And time carved wrinkles
Both acknowledging passion
and what does not end with time
but floats
Makes love
dances and sings
Passion and desire
Late night and early morning conversations
And spooned hugs
I wanted so much for myself and even more for you
Long hand holding walks
And tenderly whispered
Promises of longer nights to come
An uncomplicated relationship
One willing to work through
The pain
Where hopes for healing and rebirths live
I wanted so much for myself
and even more for us.
What struck me the most was how effortlessly her poetry commanded respect. She did what I’ve been trying to do in my own work, let the work speak for itself, let it hold its own ground. That I could feel so seen and moved by someone I had never heard of just an hour earlier was incredibly inspiring.
Throughout this year, as I worked on my thesis collection, her performance stayed with me. It made me ask difficult but necessary questions: How can I make work that demands respect on its own terms? How do I communicate without needing people to know me personally or understand my story? How do I move beyond the limits that Western society places on me as a woman of color? How do I simply allow myself to be?
For this project, titled “Many of Us” I chose to bring our works together in a way that felt honest and natural. I created a video that pairs my final collection with a recording of Lorraine Currelley performing her poem “I Wanted”. Her voice carries the piece, while my designs move in silence, each of us present through our work, but not in person. It’s a quiet conversation between two voices, side by side, yet never meeting, together, but apart.
Schema
Dec 5, 2024 Lorraine Currelley at the Gallatin Galleries; “Sinking Upwards, Heaven to the Grounds”
Personal Information
Name(s): Lorraine Currelley
Education (Short Version): B.S. in Psychology; M.S. in Mental Health Counseling; Certificate in Thanatology
Education (Longer Version): Lorraine Currelley holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling. She also has a Certificate of Specialization in Thanatology, the study of death, grief, and bereavement. Her academic background in mental health and bereavement deeply informs her poetic themes and her dedication to healing through the arts.
Significance
Lorraine Currelley is a groundbreaking African American Indigenous Gullah Geechee poet, multidisciplinary artist, mental health professional, educator, and literary curator. She is the first female Executive & Artistic Director of the Bronx Book Fair, New York City's premiere literary event in the borough. A widely anthologized and awarded figure, she is also the President and Executive Director of Poets Network & Exchange, Inc. and a Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate honored by the National Beat Poetry Foundation. Her community-rooted work spans writing, visual art, intuitive photography, gallery and theatrical curation, and grief-informed healing arts. She is celebrated for her transformative leadership, intergenerational mentorship, and commitment to building accessible, inclusive platforms for writers and artists of color.
Works/Agency
Leadership & Affiliations
- President and Executive & Artistic Director, Poets Network & Exchange, Inc. ● Executive & Artistic Director, Bronx Book Fair
- Founding Member and Former President, The Harlem Arts Fund ● Advisor, Writing for Peace
- Board Member, Blind Beggar Press
- Member of Poets & Writers, AWP, National Writers Union, Studio Museum in Harlem, and Hudson Valley MOCA
Published Works (Selected)
- Gaptooth Girlfriends: The Third Act (1994)
- New Rain Volume II: Blind Beggar Press 35th Anniversary Anthology (2012) ● Earth: Dig It – New Generation Beat Poets Laureate Anthology (2023) ● Natural Words: An Environmental Anthology (2023)
- Beat Style Love Poems Anthology (2023)
- NYC from the Inside (Blue Light Press, 2022)
- From the Ancestors: Poems and Prayers for Future Generations (2020) ● Resistance – DoveTales (2020)
- Empathy in Art – DoveTales (2018)
- Family & Cultural Identity – DoveTales (2016)
- Writing the Walls, Climbing the Walls – Hudson Valley MOCA ● Mandela Tributes, Sling Magazine, Shirley Part of the Problem (Belladonna), Mom Egg Review, MER VOX Gallery(Curator)
Other Contributions
- Curator and host of readings, scholar lectures, open mics, and workshops ● Book reviewer at Compulsive Reader (2016–present)
- Workshopped with noted artists including Laurie Carlos, Jessica Hagedorn, Mecca Jamilah Sullivan, Ginnah Howard, and Remica L. Bingham
Current Identification(s): Poet; Spoken Word Artist; Storyteller; Literary Curator; Educator; Visual/Multimedia Artist; Arts Administrator; Mental Health Professional; Essayist; Beat Poet Laureate; Cultural Organizer
Clusters: The Black Literary Arts Tradition; Women in Contemporary Poetry; Intersections of Art and Mental Health; Community-Based Arts Education; The Bronx Arts Movement; Women Arts Administrators; Urban Storytelling and Oral Traditions; Women in Independent Literary Publishing; Arts and Aging; Intergenerational Arts Programming; Poets of the African Diaspora; Beat Poetry in the 21st Century
Search Terms: Black Women Poets, Spoken Word Performance, Bronx Arts Scene, Community Literary Programming, Women in Arts Leadership, Black Independent Publishers, Thanatology and Poetry, Poetry and Grief, Intergenerational Arts Education, New Generation Beat Poets, Cultural Healing Through the Arts, Literary Curators of Color, Women in Urban Arts, Contemporary Black Storytellers
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Bibliography
https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/lorraine_currelley, accessed on 27nd April, 2025.
https://www.hudsonvalleymoca.org/lorraine-currelley, accessed on 27nd April, 2025.
http://nationalbeatpoetryfoundation.org/index.php/lorraine-currelley/, accessed on 28nd April, 2025.
https://wp.nyu.edu/gallatingalleries/lorraine-currelley/, accessed on 25nd April, 2025.
https://www.bronxarts.org/programs/resource/artist-registry/Lorraine-Currelley.html, accessed on 26nd April, 2025.
https://www.lorrainecurrelley.com/resistance.htm, accessed on 26nd April, 2025.
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Bio
Emilie Wang is a New York-based womenswear designer whose work is shaped by questions of belonging, drawing inspiration from everyday experiences and the connections she forms with people. Her approach is thoughtful but relaxed, focusing on creating pieces that are honest, wearable, and expressive.
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