On today’s edition of “Ali’s Book Club,” we celebrate the publication of Baker’s Dozen by Dasha Kelly, a book that grapples with mortality, grief, and desire. Kelly says that her characters, like the lead character named Shay in Baker’s Dozen, find her on purpose and then she “quilts” them into the story. Baker’s Dozen is haunted from beginning to end with the loss of Shay who takes her own life. Kelly says that it’s in moments of loss that people become the most empathetic, whether that loss is from death, a breakup, or the disintegration of a friendship. The other characters in the novel process their loss and what it means to be left behind all the while trying to destigmatize death and suicide. Their conversation weaves through the ways that people experience grief, loss, and their own mortality. Muldrow asks, “would you rather know or not know when the end of your life will come?” Kelly says that we’re “all energy” and that parts of our loved ones and ancestors remain with us when they’re gone and how this shapes her writing. They also discuss the afterlife, the cosmos, ancestors, and how funerals can be the best celebrations. Baker’s Dozen is on sale June 4. Dasha Kelly is a writer, performance artist and creative change agent. She has authored award-winning poetry, essays and fiction. She is a mainstage storyteller and host with The Moth, an alum of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, Poet Laureate Emerita for both the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin and a National Laureate Fellow with the American Academy of Poets. In 2024, Dasha was named a Living Legacy Honoree by the licensing agency for the legendary poet Gwendolyn Brooks. A skilled engagement practitioner and instructor, Dasha has facilitated initiatives in Botswana, Mauritius and Beirut as an Arts Envoy for the U.S. Embassy. Her nationally-touring stage show, Makin’ Cake, serves audiences a unique conversation on race, class and equity. Her documentary film of the same title premiered this spring. Her nonprofit literary arts organization, Still Waters Collective, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Dasha’s recent releases are a poetry anthology, A Line Meant (Jaded Ibis Press), a 10th anniversary reprint of Almost Crimson (Traitmarker Books), and a new novel, Baker’s Dozen (Jaded Ibis). Featured image of the cover of Baker’s Dozen. Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here The post Writer Dasha Kelly Quilts a Story of Mortality appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
