Young author strips to make a statement about prejudice and promote her debut collection of poetry and prose, Blue Bird.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES, CA – Blue Bird, by author Magda Ayuk, is both a political statement and a spiritual journey to self-love and healing in the face of oppression. Launching in April, which is National Poetry Month, it will be featured at the LA Times Festival of Books, in Booth #912.
For the video, Canadian author Magda Ayuk teamed up with South African videographer Yusuf Gamieldien to create a burlesque-inspired piece 
on race. In it, Magda takes off items of clothing to a sensual song performed by Brooklyn artist TCVVX. As she strips, derogatory comments used against black women, painted on her body, are seen.
“I have years of experience in this area. I know how the world around me receives me and the stereotypes they have about me upon first glance. Living in Asia on and off since 2014 definitely drove that point home,” Magda says.
Blue Bird by Magda Ayuk exposes the beauty and the ugly of the human experience by exploring the topics of race, gender and love under the umbrella of freedom. Blue Bird officially launches April 17, 2018, which is appropriate with April being National Poetry Month. The book will also be featured at the LA Times Festival of Books, April 21 – 22, 2018, in the Black Château booth, #912.
Blue Bird is an open invitation to be unapologetic about who you are and to bloom as you find peace in rebellion. The pieces encourage readers to challenge what it means to be a man, or a woman, or other, through true self-discovery, and to define themselves as they see fit. While pouring over Magda’s poems, expect to self-reflect and ponder your relationship to the world around you. The video is the perfect accompanying visual.
“I wanted to use my body to make a statement. Throughout history, there have been both a fascination and disregard for black bodies in white spaces. Think minstrel shows and Sarah Bartman. I am fully in control in this video and fully aware of the words used against me. I had the words ‘slave’, ‘monkey’ and ‘angry’, painted on my skin. People of color can use the ugly that’s often thrown at us and create art. And, art is seduction, and that’s why I wanted to use elements of burlesque to illustrate my stance,” Magda says.
Magda promotes self-love in her pieces because she believes it’s the only way to disassociate yourself from the world’s perception of you. She describes it as a force field. Magda hopes to inspire that kind of self-love in her readers through her body of work. She is Canadian, Cameroonian and an expat living in South Korea. Being “other” is, therefore, familiar to her. The overarching message of the book is to explore your multiple identities and to love yourself from soul to marrow, rejecting all ideas that don’t resonate with who you are.
Magda Ayuk believes that the voices of marginalized people, such as herself, need to be heard. To her, owning your truth is an act of rebellion.
The paperback and kindle versions of Blue Bird are available for pre-orders.
Click here to find Blue Bird on Amazon.
Blue Bird
By Magda Ayuk
ISBN-13: 978-1530935659
Price: $12.99 paperback, $2.99 Kindle
Pages: 242
About the Author:
Magda Ayuk is a poet, a self-care and financial literacy advocate, and a journalist. Her writing is underpinned by spirituality, race, gender and love. In her free time, she flirts with the art of burlesque, music and theater. Magda is currently based in Seoul, South Korea. You can find more of her work on Instagram @magdaayuk.
