It's easy to be blunt, but it's rather rare to find a blunt author who actually has something to say. Rania Zada issuch an author, and her poems, written simultaneously for the stage and the page, speak simply and fluidly on the chaos of human relationships and cynicism, while invoking images that instantly communicate far more than you'd expect out of their sparse use of actual words.
Rania says, "I'm Egyptian-born, 30, and have been writing poetry as long as I can remember the feel of a pen in my hand. I've got a memoir called 'The Naked Parade' getting looked at by publishers now. It's about how stripping can be hazardous to your sex life and intimate relationships. It's also about the cultural aspect of sexuality and how it crosses over, from Egypt to US. It's based on my four years spent in the sex industry as a stripper.
"I write poetry because it's the only time it's okay to be screwed up and not be judged (too blatantly) by others. I began reading poetry and doing open mics when I was about 20, when I first moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles. I think that's where I really plunged into poetry, but after 2 years of live performances I began working on other forms of writing. I still read live infrequently, but the past year I've become more poetry-active. I think live poetry, spoken word, is the best way to test your poetry. It's not just people's reactions so much as hearing your own words and feeling how they work, or don't.
"I currently live...nowhere. I was in New Orleans for a while, but I'm in Florida with my family now and trying to escape to New York once I get the money. For the record, I hate Florida." You can write to her at zadazoom@yahoo.com.
Rania's works here at Unlikely Stories are:
2004:
Fool-Shoot
Look Here, Goddammit
Common Currency
Check out the author's commentary on her pieces.