Q&A with Brittany Rogers

 

Photo by Lunar Haus, Brittany Greeson & Stephanie Hill

 

Brittany Rogers is the author of the new poetry collection Good Dress. She is also an educator, a visual artist, and the editor in chief of Muzzle Magazine. She lives in Detroit.

 

Q: Over how long a period did you write the poems collected in Good Dress?

 

A: I began writing the earliest iterations of Good Dress in 2016! Over time, it became a full-length collection titled “What Runs In The Blood,” and in early 2021, it began to transform into what became Good Dress. 

 

Q: How was the collection’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?

 

A: I chose from a list of words or phrases that stuck out to me throughout the book.

 

I ended up choosing “Good Dress” because it encompassed several themes from the collection: good, as in purity; good, as in fancy; good as in expensive; dress, being both literal and figurative. I want people to hear the title and think about adornment, extravagance, and what it means to be “good.” 

 

Q: The Detroit Public Library features prominently throughout the book--why did you choose to include it?

 

A: I chose it as both a landmark and a symbol. The Detroit Public Library is a very tangible part of my childhood and early adulthood. It is where I passed many hours during a very transient time in life. It is where I got the first inklings that I was queer.

 

It is also a symbol for history, archival, and neglect when looked at in context with the history and politics of the city. 

 

Q: The poet Khadijah Queen said of the book, “Rogers’ electric debut enfolds us in what we didn’t know we needed to understand about how we can move in the world, to dance and roller skate and cry, to imagine ourselves adorned passionately with life.” What do you think of that description?

 

A: I was so humbled to receive her blurb, and I am grateful for such a generous description; my hope is that people who read my book feel more possible and more audacious, so I am glad someone else sees that same sentiment in my work. 

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Right now I am working on a multi-genre project  which explores the interior thoughts and outward indulgences of Black femmes to challenge the politics of beautification, labor, and indulgence. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb