In a recent event organized by Artswego and the English and creative writing department, the audience at 106 Lanigan Hall had the privilege of engaging with renowned poet, Juliane Okot Bitek, whose literary prowess has resonated with large audiences. Bitek, a professor at Queens University in Kingston, Canada and an influential figure in the world of poetry, shared insights into her journey as an artist and the inspiration behind her project, “100 Days.”

The conversation delved into the early days of online writing, blogging and platforms such as Twitter, which have proven to be of significant influence in shaping modern expressions of creativity. Oswego professor Neelika Jayawardane, who met Bitek, highlighted how her path involved a transition from altering her creativity rather than her career. This shift sparked the inception of the “100 Days” project, a profound combination of poetry and writing aimed at encapsulating a unique creative journey.

The project commenced with the image of a woman holding a sign reading “100 Days,” signifying a commitment to producing a hundred poems over a hundred days. Bitek emphasized the collaborative nature of this endeavor. “It will take all of you and all of your presence to read it,” she said. 

Bitek, a rare and prominent Black woman poet in Canada, emphasized the significance of representation. She projected a photo of a Black woman’s artwork covering an entire corner storefront. “It is rare in Canada for Black women to take up so much space,” she said. 

She reflected on her roots, daughter of exiles from Uganda, a country laden with political turmoil. From an early age, at 11 years old, she penned her first poem, an expression of the challenging times her parents’ homeland faced.

Bitek spoke about now residing on Haudenosaunee land, a source of inspiration for her beautiful and intense poems. The Haudenosaunee are recognized as the original confederacy of five Native American nations inhabiting the northern New York, and are comprised of the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onandaga, and Mohawk. She also reflected on the tragic death of George Floyd, which serves as a reckoning both in the United States and Canada, compelling her to amplify voices through her work and honor the victims.

Discussing her publication journey, Bitek shared how “100 Days” initially aimed to fulfill personal goals, but eventually evolved into a broader endeavor, focusing on sharing her work with the world. She displayed a blackout poem during the event, symbolically leaving quotations visible to ensure the voices of victims were heard through her poetry. 

Bitek revealed her most recent project: an art exhibit inspired by her poem. The exhibit, “If Becomes When,” was located in the Pendulum Gallery in Vancouver, Canada. It featured works by Tiko Kerr, an abstract artist. 

“We worked together so that the work that was produced had poetry embedded in abstract art,” Bitek said.

According to the Pendelum Gallery, Tiko Kerr “is a local artist who since the 1980’s has been an important figure in the Vancouver cultural scene through his artmaking and community activism.”

Following similar fundamentals to Bitek, it is unsurprising that the two artists have thus collaborated to bring together different components of art.