Ama Addo
Contributing Writer
Poet Nin Andrews will share some of her poems with The College of Wooster this Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Kauke 305. Since her last visit in 2012, she has published Why God is a Woman, a series of poems in which she creates a world that switches existing gender roles so men are second class citizens and women are the dominant gender; The Book of Orgasms, a series that recounts her personal experiences of lust, desire and coming of age; and a number of short stories that she publishes on her personal website, Ninandrews.com.
According to her website, “[Andrews] has won two Ohio individual artist grants — the Pearl Chapbook Contest and the Kent State University chapbook contest — and the Gerald Cable Poetry Award. Her stories have been featured on platforms such as The Paris Review, four issues of Best American Poetry and on National Public Radio (NPR). She has published six collections of poetry and six novels thus far.
A woman of many talents, Andrews is not a conventional poet. She explores ideas of historical memory, social standpoints, lust, sexual experiences and gender roles in her work, sometimes fusing visual and written art in her digital writing collections. She includes her own hand-sketched comic illustrations that she often combines with her stories in posts on her website and blog, allowing audiences to see the world the way she views it. The different ways in which she is able to tell stories is remarkable because of her excellent ability to translate her imagination into art. Her poetry readings are charming, funny, erotic and thought provoking. Although she often focuses on political poetry on her blog, this Ohio-based poet’s storytelling bravely challenges the politics of gender and sexuality norms that confine women’s bodies and human desires. The bold statements of self-love and comfort she makes through her writing are political because they shake up the rigid policing of women by the dominant culture in today’s society. Her intimate stories often recount her own sexual experiences and desires, with poems like “Yes,” and series of poems in The Book of Orgasms about defying the stigmas of female sexuality and self-indulgence.
Feminist does not begin to describe Andrews. She goes beyond challenging the taboos of female sexuality, while unapologetically relishing in her erotic experiences, fusing them into her recollections of the facets of her memoirs. Combining the art of comedy, comics and coming of age stories, Andrews is a poet who brings artistic expression full circle.
Come listen, laugh and be amazed as Nin Andrews shares her deepest desires and fantasies with us. Admission for the event is free and is open to the public. The event, which starts on Tuesday Feb. 9 at 7:00 p.m. is sponsored by the English Department at the College. For more information, call the English Department at 330-263-2575.