Excerpts from the works of the 2023 Whiting Award winners
The 2023 Whiting Award winners were announced Wednesday night. Below are excerpts from their work.
Tommye Blount, Poetry
I
What a lucky beast I am,
when he cleans up nice
and nicks his perfect face.
I get to lick that face,
when he lets me.
In the cut's opening
I get a taste of him
from the inside
out, which is all I have
ever wanted,
to be cell-close
to him. Praise the razor's
overzealous arm;
the ease
with which it finds tenderness
in this man.
From "Fable of the Beast"
"The Lady Chablis as Herself"
Tommey, or however you spell your name, I
mean what I say. Like how them white boys think
Whitney or somebody's going to do The Lady. Nu-uh, I
have to be her in your little poem. Boy, I could almost
smack your face—who do you think you are? Look,
only I have the pipes to speak for The Lady. Good
drag is not just a dress and a wig. You got to put this in
The Lady's words right. Because she, above anything,
is my livelihood. Chile, I'm a kept woman as long as she lets
me keep this roof I'm under; my pans full of meat. Try
to be her and you will fail. I've got years on
you, Sugar Lump. You can't just go pull something
out of a closet. Only I can make good from all her ugly.
Excerpt from Fantastia for the Man in Blue by Tommye Blount. Copyright © 2020 by Tommye Blount. Used by permission of Four Way Books. All rights reserved.
Tommye Blount grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He earned an MFA from Warren Wilson College. He is the author of the poetry collection Fantasia for the Man in Blue (2020) and the chapbook What Are We Not For (2016). Fantasia for the Man in Blue was a 2020 National Book Award Finalist in the Poetry category. Blount has been awarded scholarships and fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Cave Canem, and Kresge Arts. He lives in Novi, Michigan.
Mia Chung, Drama
A male actor plays the roles of both THERESA and her son TIM. A second male actor plays the roles of both ROBERTA and her son ROBBIE.
ROBERTA Who is she?
THERESA She's... she's fine.
ROBERTA Uh oh
THERESA I only met her once. She's fine.
ROBERTA You met her once, they're engaged? Tim never said?
THERESA I'm his mother. Tim tells me last. Plus, I didn't get out to California enough.
ROBERTA I'd be a mess if Robbie moved out again, even across the street. But California? I don't know
how you stand it all these years. So when's / the
THERESA They haven't set a date yet. Tim wants to move back first.
ROBERTA Move back?!
THERESA Train distance, he says. Somewhere on the Northeastern corridor. He's looking at jobs.
When's he
