In Short: Black Femme Transformation in 'Pemi Aguda's "Manifest" with Magenta Naaku

Can physical and spiritual transformation be essential to Black femme survival, liberation, and pleasure? When does embodiment become an opportunity to shapeshift or possess others? How can rearranging our bodies to better fit our spirits lead to a mortal/supernatural collision? Who are we on the other side of possession? How do we arrange our bodies after evaporating?
Black Femme Transformation is a reading group inspired by our kin who embrace the fluidity of flesh and refuse to cage their souls. We’ll read short stories about femmes who trade in their humanity in their pursuit of pleasure and freedom, and conjure the liminality of their imaginations into full-fledged realities–for better or worse.
In Eloghosa Osunde’s “Grief Is the Gift That Breaks the Spirit Open,” a Black femme discovers she has the ability to shapeshift by snatching abandoned bodies. As she navigates this new ability, she explores the depths of her sexual pleasure. This vivacious queer story expands on the complexities of desire and relationships, and the parts of ourselves we choose to keep hidden versus what we share with our lovers. We’ll discuss what makes a shapeshifter so, whether immortality is worth it, how secrets sew us together, and how love and horror melt seamlessly into the narrative.
Reading List:

“Grief Is the Gift That Breaks the Spirit Open” by Eloghosa Osunde (A copy of the story will be emailed upon registration.