Hyperallergic Reads Linda Norton's Wite Out

At Hyperallergic, Marcella Durand reviews Linda Norton's Wite Out (Hanging Loose Press), "a hybrid collection of autobiographical journal pieces interspersed with poems," which examines the "toxic interaction of race, ethnicity, complexion, and class" in Norton's life, and considers "where in our language can we find the words to envision relationships not forced or shaped by hundreds of years of white supremacy?" More:

How can we describe what an older white woman might mean to a Black teenager–and vice versa–that is not based on hierarchy, fear, or exploitation? Norton writes, “The glorification of whiteness is everywhere, including language—’He has fine hair.’ ‘She is fair.’ ‘He is dark.’—’Her coarse hair.’ How to speak or write or live without complicity?”

Continue reading at Hyperallergic.