In collaboration with the Bucknell University Press, The Griot Institute hosted a reading and Q/A with Dr. Mel Michelle Lewis, Vice President for People, Justice, and Cultural Affairs at American Rivers and author of the new Griot Book Series publication, Biomythography Bayou. Lewis was raised in Bayou La Batre on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Their book is a multimedia exploration of ancestral lands, generational lineages, and queer longings in Gulf South sommunities.
Biomythography Bayou is not only a memoir, but a connective ritualistic practice that blends praise songs, fold takes, recipes, narratives, and poetry– including extranarrative images and audio links as well. The biomythography for accuratly captures the essence of Lewis’ experience and intention that breaks temporal and corporeal boundaires, conjuring decolonial perspectives and reconnecting to ancestral heritage embedded in the land.
In their reading, Lewis incorporated music and other artifacts, setting up an atmosphere through which they could transport listeners into the world of the book. The selection they read from was very engaging and inspired much conversation afterward. Over lunch, students and faculty discussed with Lewis the source material, ancestral practices, cultural experiences, and environmental factors that inspired their creative work.