jessica.edwards.

Written and Performed by Jessica Edwards

Filmed by Martin Uwah

Scored by Jason Edwards

What is MUVAship about?

Muvaship is my love letter to Black women. I love sci-fi and fantasy that centers Black women — (hello, Octavia Butler) and I wanted to use a medium that I enjoy— poetry — to fuse everything together.

Imagine as a Black woman you find yourself transported into a world that is free of the structural barriers that hinder you here. The painful labels put on you have become a newfound source of pride because being a “strong Black woman” no longer points to the abuse you endure but rather the fact that you can literally move mountains. Being labeled as “fast” has nothing to do with men ogling your curves; “fast” means you can outpace a speeding bullet.

But when the world you’ve escaped realizes it needs you back, Muvaship asks “what will you do?”

What is a visual poetry chapbook?

Poetry chapbooks are small collections of poems that are typically 20-40 pages.

This collection is 26 pages. It consists of 18 poems of varying length. But since it is a visual chapbook, each poem has a corresponding video. You can jump along in the film using the time stamps or you can watch it from start to finish.

Rather than printing the text and selling it like a typical chapbook, I decided to make it an e-book; this will allow you to read it like a poem or to follow along as you watch the film. 

What was the process of making MUVAship? 

In fall 2018 I wanted to write something different than my past poems. I didn’t want to explain my struggles to an audience nor speak only to my past, but I wanted to imagine a future. So I started writing about Muvaland a futuristic  world with a hyper focus on Black women.

Late 2018 and early 2019 I sent out the manuscript to some competitions — one of the few ways short collections of poems can be published (if you win). Most chapbooks are expected to be individual poems that are united thematically so I knew I was running a risk by writing what was essentially one short story in verse.  However, I was named a finalist in a competition!

But around that time life happened. I found out I was pregnant and my focus was on preparing for my child. Then a month before giving birth the world shut down. As I adjusted to motherhood (in a pandemic) it hit me —why keep submitting my chapbook the same ol’ same ol’ way? We are NOT in the same ol’ same ol’ world anymore! So I decided to think of a creative way to share this chapbook on my own terms. My wonderful brother Jason scored the entire chapbook. Then my husband Martin stepped in to film and edit the visual component.

Art takes time but art is meant to be shared.