By Erica Gibson
When an idea rushes toward poet, rapper and author Dessa, she said she races to categorize it.
Shorter, image-driven thoughts are poetry, she said. The thoughts with natural rhythm are rap. Longer thoughts — thoughts that would span pages and pages — are prose.
Dessa is the sole female member of the Minneapolis hip-hop collective Doomtree and a member of the all-female a cappella trio, the Boy Sopranos. She taught a workshop about poetry and prose Friday in Collins Living-Learning Center.
She’s released three albums, two EPs and four collections of poetry and prose.
“I have three piles of writing I’m working on at the same time — prose, fiction and nonfiction,” Dessa said.
Right now, Dessa is writing her first full-length book.
“My other books have been mixed-genre collections, the type of thing Barnes & Noble doesn’t have too much interest in,” Dessa said.
Her previous works were published through Doomtree, but Dessa said she recently signed with a literary agent and hopes to publish in additional literary outlets.
Dessa’s literary interests permeate her music. In her workshop with IU students, she said poetry is driven by images and language, forces that happen to dominate her songs.
“Poetry is like Jenga,” Dessa said. “You edit until it’s teetering on the edge and there’s nothing left to take away.”
Several songs off her most recent album, “Parts of Speech,” center on short, powerful metaphors and three- and four-minute reflections on relationships, femininity and ambition.
Dessa references Greek mythology and Jay-Z’s songbook in her lyrics. Her second album, “Castor the Twin,” is a reinterpretation of her debut release and a nod to Castor and Pollux, the twins of the Gemini constellation.
Before joining Doomtree, Dessa taught creative writing at the collegiate level and often draws from that experience when she visits universities. While working with IU students, Dessa said she loves talking craft and being in the presence of other writers.
“Edit hard, live hard,” Dessa said.
She told the IU students there’s an overemphasis on reading to become a good writer, and sometimes you have to put down the books and live.
“Having an adventure worth writing about is part of being a writer,” she said.
