T Kira Madden and Lucas de Lima read their work at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Photo courtesy of Kylie Gellatly FP ‘23.
By Jude Barrera ’24
Staff Writer
Content warning: This article mentions sexual abuse and colonial violence.
Students and faculty alike gathered in the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum to attend readings by Mount Holyoke visiting lecturers T Kira Madden and Lucas de Lima, two new faculty members in the English department. The reading took place in the John and Norah Warbeke Gallery where the crowd was surrounded by works depicting landscapes in the Northeastern U.S., including “View of Mount Holyoke” by David John Gue and “Hetch Hetchy Canyon” by Albert Bierstadt. Both professors took attendees out of the surrounding Massachusetts landscape and into other cities during their readings.
Visiting lecturer in English T Kira Madden was introduced first, her notable accomplishments including service as editor-in-chief of the literary magazine “No Tokens,” author of her memoir, “Long Live The Tribe of Fatherless Girls: A Memoir” and training as an “amateur magician,” according to her website. Madden chose to read a passage from her forthcoming novel, “Whidbey,” which detailed the protagonist’s ferry ride to Whidbey Island. On the ferry ride, the protagonist meets an overly-friendly stranger who strikes up a conversation with her, leading the protagonist to reveal her purpose in fleeing Florida. Madden’s reading explored themes of sexual abuse, misogyny and queerness. The crowd was silent as they listened to Madden’s text.
He was “handsome for a man,” Madden recited, drawing soft chuckles from around the room.
“I hated men,” Madden continued, leading to a raucous response.
“Whidbey” currently has no release date, but Madden gave an estimated publishing date of 2025 when asked by a member of the audience during the Q&A portion of the event.
“This new book is split between Whidbey Island in the Pacific and Florida,” Madden said. Madden grew up in Boca Raton, Florida, and the excerpt she read had many references to the state, including mentions of EPCOT, Coral Gables and Coral Springs. When asked why she incorporates her home state into her writings in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Madden replied that “Florida is one of those places where a lot of people flee, … but it’s a place, I believe, that always has its fangs in you.” Madden’s connection to Florida is omnipresent in “Whidbey” as the protagonist finds herself continually thinking of her home, even as she leaves it.
Visiting Professor in English Lucas de Lima was introduced next. They conducted their recitation while wearing a velvet costume gown with the pattern of two chickenson the skirt, complete with a cloth headdress adorned with an image of a blue eye. The headdress had an attached veil, which obscured their face from the audience as they recited during the first portion of the reading. Lima noted the ensemble was making its debut at the reading. When moving on to a new section, de Lima ripped the veil off from the headdress. The costume was designed by the Georgian artist Uta Bekaia, who is a friend of de Lima. Bekaia’s work focuses on art as a performance. The designer describes these ensembles as “wearable sculptures” on his website.
Author of “Wet Land” and multiple chapbooks, according to the Birds LLC website, de Lima read from their upcoming book “Tropical Sacrifice.” Their reading centered on Brazil’s history of colonialism, Black Indigeneity and their queer identity. “Tropical Sacrifice” explores the speaker’s romance with a man named Pinto. Pinto is Portuguese for a baby chicken, but de Lima explained to the audience that it can also be used to refer to a penis. The excerpts de Lima read from melded human and animal nature and through the book the speaker becomes the sacrificial chicken. When speaking on their work, de Lima noted that “having the immigrant experience [in the United States] really shaped [them]” and impacted how they discuss race.
After the reading, copies of both professors’ books were on sale outside the gallery, including Madden’s memoir “Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls and advanced copies of de Lima’s “Tropical Sacrifice.” Audience members lined up to purchase a copy and have their books signed, also taking the opportunity to speak with Madden and de Lima individually.
When asked what drew them to Mount Holyoke College, Madden said that Mount Holyoke “seems like a place that really emphasizes community care outside of more toxic, hierarchical institutions, and that really spoke to me.” De Lima emphasized that they were “drawn by being in a place [that is] gender inclusive and … [has a] dynamic approach to teaching.”
Both de Lima and Madden are teaching Introduction to Creative Writing courses during the Fall 2022 semester. Though it has only been a few weeks since beginning to teach at the College, the lecturers have felt welcomed by colleagues and students alike. “Everyone is super approachable and open minded,” de Lima said. Madden echoed the sentiment and said, “Everyone has been incredibly kind to me.”