Shift Freedom

Lindsey and I finally made it to the Farmer’s Market today. It’s only taken a month of speculative planning for our date to happen, but we finally set out for pancakes and mimosas amongst the booths of Pioneer Park. Alas, the Happy Cake factory was not creating their delicious GF pancakes this morning, but they did have some fresh squeezed oj to complement our cheap champagne and smiles as we decided to sample some of the other choices at the market.
Diyona’s Designs is a company that creates jewelry out of antique typewriter keys, and as a writer and reader, I have long lusted after her creations. While Lindsey and I were exploring her boxs of keys, I came across a “shift freedom” key. Regardless of this keys use, I couldn’t help imagining all the different ways of shifting freedom.
I’m currently taking an African American lit class from Dr. Samuels at the U . A large focus in our class is the marginalization of African Americans through literature, and their attempt to radicalize their marginalization through writing, which is primarily recognized during the Harlem Renaissance. I have always loved Harlem lit. I wrote a thesis paper my senior year of high school of Harlem poetry and the emergence of jazz. The melodies of Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s “Sympathy” and Hurston’s response have constantly reminded me of the power of poetry, both subjectively and objectively.
My current idea for my grad school thesis is the marginalization and created/perpetuation of stereotypes through literature. What does the way in which a marginalized group in society is written do to create/perpetuate their stereotypes? What can be “shifted” through allowing these marginalized groups their own voice in literature? My idea is still really vague, and could take a million different paths. But nonetheless, I’m excited about the process of discovering what I will write about, eventually…

Tags: Diyona's Designs, Dr. Samuels, Harlem Renaissance, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Shift Freedom, University of Utah