A Poet of the City: LWL Profiles Melanie Henderson

Melanie Henderson has deep roots in Washington, DC. Her maternal great, great grandparents, former slaves from Virginia, settled in the district, and much of the family has remained in the city. Henderson attended Holy Redeemer Catholic School and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Many of her older relatives attended Dunbar Senior High School in Northwest when the school was in its prime.

In addition to writing, a young Melanie Henderson painted while in middle school, and in her teens, she designed t‑shirts and sold them at Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. With an eye for composition, she also took up photography as a hobby, but her love of language persisted and she continued to write. She began reading her poetry in local reading series including “Spit Dat,” at a coffee house at 12^th and Otis streets Northeast and “The Enlightenment” at Café Mawonaj, and open mic nights at Bar Nun.

When asked about reading her work in front of an audience, the seemingly shy 29-year-old says there are still nerves even today, but the feeling is tempered by a strong belief in the relevance of her work and a sense that there is someone out there who wants or needs to hear it, even if only to object to it.

It was a creative writing class at Howard University that got Henderson thinking about poetry in a more serious way. The class, which Henderson and other students affectionately referred to as “boot camp,” was taught by Professor Tony Medina. Medina encouraged lively discussion and brought poets and artists, such as Tyhimba Jess, Jessica Care Moore, Tish Benson, and John Abner (collagist), into the classroom. Students had the opportunity to form relationships with the artists, their work, and with each other. Henderson completed a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish at Howard and went on to earn an MBA at Trinity and an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. But it was Medina’s class that Henderson credits with helping her understand the responsibility of a poet and the power of words.

In an email response to the question, What is the role of language?, Henderson writes, “Language is both art and responsibility primarily because it is an inevitable tool we all use to advance our own politics or the politics of our perceived communities. I am in constant consideration of language/speech as both privilege and right; I consider who gave me this tongue…and how my use of it erases, acknowledges or preserves where I come from or who I am. Grand or subtle, a single word can change the whole culture of a poem…”

Henderson’s debut poetry collection, Elegies for New York Avenue, won the Main Street Rag Annual Poetry Prize for 2011. The book is slated for release in November 2011. The title poem in Henderson’s collection was influenced by Robert Hayden’s poem, “Elegies for Paradise Valley” from his book American Journal. Hayden’s poem is a reflection on the Detroit neighborhood in which he grew up, and Henderson was struck by the poem’s tenderness and honesty. “He didn’t sugar coat anything about his upbringing. He talked about the violence, the community, the uncles, the aunts, the funerals, everything that would make you cry and laugh.” Hayden’s work prompted Henderson to reflect on her own background and community in DC.

Her poem, “Elegies for New York Avenue” begins with one of Henderson’s earliest memories and spans most of her life ending about two years ago. The poem refers to actual events and people, though names are changed, and describes a DC that, due to changing demographics and development, isn’t really there any more. It’s a place you can only remember.

In her book Henderson wanted to write about a DC beyond FBI t‑shirts and Smithsonian gift shops. “I wanted to deal with the DC that is living, not the statues and the monuments and what people see on TV.” Henderson sees a tension between the city she knows as a long-time resident and what is often presented to people through the media. The book also includes poems about motherhood—Henderson is mother to a young son named Langston, coming of age, politics, and Henderson’s ancestors.

Organizing the book was a challenge, as Henderson generally doesn’t write poems with the intention of one relating to another. She describes her writing process as “organic” though she cringes a little at the often–used term. She doesn’t believe in writer’s block, and claims to not have any of the small rituals that some writers indulge. For her there is no particular place or time of day when she likes to write. No favorite pen or a notebook. “That doesn’t work for me,” she says. “It makes me feel [bound]; it makes me feel pretentious.” Henderson is quick to add that she doesn’t judge those who keep a routine or have other rituals. It’s just not how she works. She writes when something affects her in a significant way, when she feels she has something to say. Weeks, even months, may go by in which she doesn’t put pen to paper. Sometimes it’s the business of life that keeps her from writing, and she admits it can be frustrating. She also believes that in a way, you’re always writing the poem, informing the poem even if you’re not physically putting words on a page. On the subject of inspiration, Henderson is philosophical and practical. She says, “When it comes, it comes and I’ll respect it. I’ll demand silence, and give myself time to write.”