BOOK RELEASE DAY:
Living at Baggage Claim by PAGES Matam
“I am on a plane wishing I could live
PAGES Matam
in every sky if it means being closer to you.”
We are pleased to announce the release of Living at Baggage Claim, PAGES Matam’s sophomore, full-length poetry collection!
Living at Baggage Claim by PAGES Matam tells a tale across time and cities chronicling what it means to make home wherever you may be.
Read on to discover Matam’s new collection!
“Living at Baggage Claim is a deep pondering on things inherited: grief, exile, longing, memories, but also the ability to lay some of that weight down.”
PAGES Matam
psst… get $7 your copy with code MATAM7 at checkout!
In this collection based on the author’s experiences touring as a performance poet, we journey through the eyes of our fictionalized main character, “the boy?”, who is a reflection of their inner child.
The collection explores a seemingly impossible future trying to honor who they are by accepting who they always were and what they were meant to be.
“Living at Baggage Claim is bold in honesty and tender in recollection. PAGES’ voice is lyrical, fearless, and deeply humane in blending West African folklore with contemporary storytelling.”
Ebony Stewart, author of WASH
From the author:
“Truth is a heavy thing, but it is the only thing worth carrying.” – James Baldwin
I am beyond grateful and hella excited to announce my second full-length collection of poems and other stories, “LIVING AT BAGGAGE CLAIM” now available on BUTTON POETRY. This is a collection that is over a decade in the making, navigating the mercurial highs and lows of being a Black, Queer, and immigrant artist desperately trying to grapple with their relationship to home, healing your inner-child, and all the griefs in between (and beyond).
I spent a lot of time living out of a suitcase as a traveling artist, nomad, and person with unstable housing. “Living at Baggage Claim” is an invitation to finally put the bags down – from the literal to the figurative. I tried to ask myself in my reflection of the past 10 or so years of my life – being on the road, the people I’ve gained and lost, the vulnerable and prickly parts of me, the choices and decisions I made and that were made for me which left me so broken only the flood of tears could wash me anew – who or is what is home for me? Have I made a home of myself?
I hope these poems give a semblance of an answer or encourage you to craft your own. Thank you to BUTTON POETRY, friends, lovers, heart breaks, soul aches and wild joys that have made this possible, supported me, challenged me, and believed in me.”
From the author:
“I mean is this not the most dramatic irony, for a book called “LIVING AT BAGGAGE CLAIM” to have lost baggage upon first delivery. SMH.
I laughed when I discovered my first delivery of author copies was completely empty, ripped and re-taped over as if someone was trying to apologize for their mistake. Somewhere in the ether there are copies of LABC that may be in the hands of a river, or a person who didn’t know poetry could be magical and healing. I hope it’s the latter more than anything.”
– PAGES Matam
Author Bio
PAGES Matam (They/He) is a genderqueer med-school dropout turned
award-winning multi-hyphenate, pleasure advocate, and agent of
imagination. Born and raised in Cameroun then blossomed in the DMV
(Piscataway Land), they love Mario Kart, anime, and fried plantains as
much as crafting high-concept writing and performance art that speaks
truth to power with topics ranging from culture & identity, maternal
wounds, mental health, and their queer journey as an immigrant!
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Learn More This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product pageLiving at Baggage Claim
Price range: $15.00 through $23.00