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Tantrums and Tempests: Poetry as Activism

Writer's picture: Jessica Jaymes PurdyJessica Jaymes Purdy

Book Cover: Tantrums and Tempests Jessica Jaymes depicts a statue holding a sword and scales and the American flag

Sometimes poetry isn't just an artistic choice – it's a necessity, a way to process the unprocessable. "Tantrums and Tempests" emerged from such a necessity during the turbulent period that began in earnest in 2016, as I watched the rise of Trump and MAGA Republicans shatter America's illusions about itself. Like many others who had wanted to believe in a more progressive, inclusive America, I found myself confronting harsh realities about how far we still had to go.


I didn't set out to write this collection. The poems were born from the need to process what was happening to our nation. As a diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging professional, as a queer transwoman, and as an activist, I felt like I had been screaming into the void. Around me, I saw friends, family, and fellow activists experiencing the same frustration, the same sense of disbelief and dismay.


This collection gave voice to what so many of us felt during that long election cycle and the early days of Trump's presidency. It chronicles not just political events, but the emotional toll of watching our nation's soul being torn apart by hatred, fear, and division. The title "Tantrums and Tempests" emerged from watching what felt like half of America throwing tantrums that threatened to destroy the progress we'd fought so hard to achieve, while actual tempests of political and social upheaval raged around us.


This was my first collection that was openly and explicitly activist in nature. Through these poems, I wove together my professional work in diversity and inclusion, my personal experience as a queer transwoman, and my growing role as an activist. The verses became a way to document not just what was happening in our nation, but how it felt to live through it as someone whose very existence was a political battleground.


Through the lens of this collection, I began to see the threads of activism that had been present but less explicit in my previous works. While "Dive Bars & Empty Glasses" and "Captured Moments" hadn't been overtly political, they too had contained elements of resistance – resistance against despair, against self-denial, against the pressure to be something other than who we are. "Tantrums and Tempests" simply brought that resistance into the open, making it impossible to ignore.


The poems in this collection serve multiple purposes. They're a chronicle a moment in American history where the pendulum was once more swinging away from the promise of equality and justice for all to authoritarianism and prejudice. They're a call to action, urging readers to look beyond their own experiences and confront the realities of systemic injustice. And they're a reminder that poetry can be a powerful tool for political resistance – a way to speak truth to power and give voice to those who feel silenced.


Each poem was crafted knowing that personal identity is inherently political when your very existence is up for debate. The collection doesn't shy away from difficult truths or uncomfortable realities. Instead, it charges at them; challenging readers to examine their own roles in perpetuating or dismantling systems of oppression.


Today, as we continue to face many of the same challenges that inspired these poems, "Tantrums and Tempests" remains tragically relevant. It reminds us that progress is never guaranteed, that rights once won can be lost, and that the work of creating a more just and equitable world is never finished. But it also reminds us of the power of raising our voices together, of refusing to be silenced, and of continuing to fight for the world we believe in, even when – especially when – the tantrums and tempests rage their fiercest.

  

 

You can purchase Shooting Stars and Origami Swans at your favorite bookseller.




My collections available on Amazon


Shooting Stars and Origami Swans






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