We had the good fortune of connecting with Benin Lemus and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Benin, what do you want your legacy to be?

In the words of one of my favorite writers Sandra Cisneros, “I don’t know anything, but I know this: whatever is done with love, in the name of others, without self-gain, whatever is done with the heart on behalf of someone or something…whatever work we make with complete humility, will always come out beautifully, and something more valuable than fame or money will come.” I believe this wholeheartedly.
I live from a space of radical love and in service to others. I am connecting more deeply to my sense of fairness and justice and empathy, and using it to inform my life’s work. When I think about the legacy I am building, I want to be remembered as a person who loved deeply, cared immensely, and laughed loudly!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I am an educator and a poet. Both of these worlds keep me busy. As a full-time librarian, I am responsible for providing programming for my students and making the library a space where all feel welcome. This includes not only the books in my collection, but also the physical environment. I want to students to walk into my library to feel at home. I am also responsible for collaborating with teachers to support their classroom instruction, and being a resource to them. I still love the environment of working directly with students in classroom setting, so every semester I teach one upper division English elective. In the fall I teach a course called, “Literature of Minorities In America,” which is a hybrid literature/ethnic studies class that examines the literary contributions of people of color through a historical lens. In the spring I teach a film analysis course. I not only love watching films, I love talking about them too! I am able to bring my passion for film and teaching into one dynamic course.
I am also doing some volunteer work as a school outreach volunteer with the Omega Sci-Fi Award- Light Bringer Project, which is a science fiction writing competition for emerging writers.
My first role in the early process was as a first-round judge. Now that we have our finalists, I serve as one of the story editors. My job is to give editorial feedback to the writers of the Tomorrow Prize and Green Feather Awards. Even the best stories need a bit of polishing. I am happy to play a role in making excellent stories better.
In my personal writing life, I am completing the final edits on my debut poetry collection, Dreaming In Mourning, which will be published in November of this year by World Stage Press. I am excited to share more of my work with the public with this collection. The title comes from the idea that even in our deepest moments of suffering and grief, we still have glimpses of hope that we can hold onto. Dreaming (love, hope, joy) can still be present in our mourning (suffering, sadness, grief). As humans we are filled with duality, contradictions, and yet somehow, we find a way to make sense of what feels like chaos!  I have been publishing poems and participating in literary projects for more than 20 years so this      collection feels like a culmination of that work and a beginning to new ideas and work. In mid-April I will travel to the Furious Flower Poetry Center at James Madison University to accept the Honorable Mention Award for a group of poems I submitted to their Emerging Writers contest. The Furious Flower Poetry Center is the country’s first poetry center dedicated to Black poets. I am honored to be recognized and hope to inspire and be inspired. And because it’s National Poetry Month, I am taking part in the annual 30/30 Challenge where poets write a poem a day during the month of April. It’s definitely a challenge, but at the end of the month, I will have written 30 poems! And if that’s not busy enough, you can always find me with a book in my hand! Reading is one of my favorite activities.
Finally, what do you want the world to know about your story?
My journey, like so many, hasn’t been easy at all! I balance my personal and professional life sometimes with ease and others with great challenges! I greet my job as an educator with fresh eyes and a lot of love. Teaching is under-resourced and overburdened, but it is a rewarding and necessary profession.
As a writer, I am so proud of myself for not giving up! Writing and the submission process is filled with rejection. I have so many stories of working really hard on revisions and submissions to journals. The “nos” can be crushing, but I believe in my talents, my voice and most importantly, I love putting words on paper and following my bliss. I have learned that good writing, like confidence, takes patience and practice. I haven’t always had time to write, nor have I always had the best ideas, but I kept going, even when I wanted to stop. I have learned it’s okay to pause, reflect, and do something else that keeps me refreshed and rested. Then, when I am ready again, I pick up my pen and notepad (I still write longhand) and get back to it.
I think that often artists feel the pressure of age as a timeline to achievement and “success.” The “30 under 30” lists and those like it can be discouraging because if you are 35 or 55 you might feel that your time has passed. I say ignore those lists! Art is subjective and so are those lists. Keep making art because that is what you have been called to do. As our favorite elusive chanteuse Mariah Carey says, “I have anniversaries, not birthdays, because I celebrate life, darling.” I concur. Celebrate your life. You don’t have to keep count, just keep thriving.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

My favorite thing to do is be a tourist in my city!
Here’s my rundown:* Levitated Mass and Urban Lights outdoor exhibits at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) and of course, they always have fantastic exhibition.

*BROAD Museum to see a few Basquiat’s up close (mesmerizing!) as well as other master painters and sculptors

*Getty Villa Museum (Malibu) the Roman gardens are worth the trip alone!

 

* Malibu Farm Restaurant/Cafe at the Malibu Pier – the food and the views of the marvelous Pacific Ocean are unmatched!*Ocean Park Beach in Santa Monica or a bit farther south on PCH 1, Playa Del Rey Beach.

     I recommend you visit rain or shine.

*Banc of California Stadium to catch an LAFC football (soccer) match. I am all about the Black & Gold!*Leimert Park/Exposition Park
Eso Won Books
CAAM (California African American Museum)

World Stage Performance Gallery (check calendar for open mic nights)
Check out the vendors and festivals in Leimert! The neighborhood is tree-lined and beautiful too.Wanna hike or take a nice walk?
Griffith Park
Kenneth Hahn Park
Old Zoo Loop at the LA Zoo/Griffith Park

Park to Playa in Baldwin Hills (It really does go to the beach!)
The LA River has fantastic trails to walk, run or ride your bike/skateboard, etc.Little Tokyo in Downtown LA is a must! Stop by the Chado Tea Room

My favorite local coffee shops:

Hilltop Cafe (Windsor Hills)
South LA Cafe (Western Avenue & MLK Blvd.)

    Hot + Cool Cafe  (Leimert Park)

And don’t forget….
Sims Library of Poetry (Florence Avenue & Slauson Avenue)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The first part of my shoutout is to my alma mater, Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina. Bennett is an HBCU (Historically Black College & University) that has produced phenomenal women who are making their mark in so many fields across the globe. Bennett gave me an opportunity to thrive, learn about my history as a Black woman, and provided personalized academic attention to help me reach my full potential. It was there I produced a play and a series of poetry readings. I gained the confidence to apply to graduate school (shoutout to the USC School of Cinema-Television). I learned the importance of civic engagement and thinking beyond just my immediate needs, but what my community needs and how I can best serve. Finally, I want to shoutout the Black poets, especially those from the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s like Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, Quincy Troupe, Ntozake Shange and many others. They paved the way for my generation to use art as activism and inspired people to establish and protect Black art and institutions. Through their books and performances I found courage to develop my own poetic voice and use it to express myself and uplift others.

Website: www.beninlemus.com

Instagram: benin_lemus

Linkedin: Benin Lemus

Twitter: BookishGirl_LA

Image Credits
Photos by Nelson Lemus

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