Today we’d like to introduce you to Quin Killings.
Hi Quin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After three grueling years of failing math-related classes in college, I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of South Florida St. Petersburg in December and I got a job as a dependency case manager right out of college. In my mind, I’d finally achieved the “American Dream” and fulfilled what my ancestors and my family expected of me as a first generation college student; all in all, I was going to take the world by storm. Boy, was I chugging the capitalistic, Kool-Aid cocktail on a rim fire. 2020 was indeed not my year and I begged Jesus to take the wheel; unfortunately, Jesus not only took the wheel, he detached it from the steering axle and cut the brake lines while allowing the vehicle to head full speed into stop-and-go I-4 traffic.
The COVID pandemic had made my job twice as difficult and unsafe; not only was my job becoming a hectic, PTSD nightmare, the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, ignited many protests and riots across the nation, some right around the corner from my own apartment complex. After quitting my job a few months later, I got involved with local protests and organizations who were working towards uplifting the Black community and holding law enforcement accountable. Over time, I started to notice that some groups rode the protests and movement as social media PR, publicity stunts, and treating Black Lives Matter as a time sheet to clock in when convenient. Corporate businesses marketing ads targeted towards Black people, using footage from protests and making grand gestures of solidarity with short term promises to advertise how much they care about diversity and inclusion while lining the pockets of the entities that were actively participating in white supremacy and government suppression. I would scroll through the internet and see people, some whom I’ve considered friends in the past, centering white guilt, putting the bare minimum in their self-proclaimed allyship, and showing their solidarity by posting black squares on social media. To be frank, it felt like my identity was a holiday attire or birthday shirt that was pulled out the closet once a year, just for society to put me back in the closet after getting all the compliments, and I know I wasn’t the only one that felt it. I was so exhausted trying to find a table who would break bread with me that I finally hit my imaginary “f*ck-it button” and said, “If no one is going to do it, I’ll do it myself”. It was on that fateful day on April 22, 2020, I created The Blunt Space as a publishing site for artists who were tired of being tokenized for profit and didn’t have to dilute the culture or advocacy out of their works; a space where we make the playing field even in the literary world by dismantling the discriminative, systemic practices of the publishing world.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road getting here was not an easy one at all. Matter of fact, to put it as transparent and vulnerable as possible, there have been many days where I wanted to quit, dissolve the company, and hide under a rock. Alongside managing my several disabilities (physical, mentally, emotional, and cognitively), I was unemployed for months after I was let go from my job and nearly fell into poverty on several occasions, I had to place The Blunt Space into a year hiatus because of internal leadership issues and while mourning the death of my brother to stage four pancreatic cancer and grieving a parasitic relationship wrapped in a guise of friendship. There were people who were trying to convince me to give up on my dreams and scrap The Blunt Space or start over from scratch; in that season of my life, I was in a deep state of despair and it got to a point where I wanted to end it all. However, if it weren’t for the people who rode with me through the storms and believed in The Blunt Space, my partner who supported me and helped me with rehabilitating my mind and my spirit, affirming and supporting me every step in rehabilitating the organization, I honestly do not believe that I would have come this far. After making a few calls and working together with trusted collaborators and supporters to restructure the internal leadership and operation of the org, refocused our purpose and mission, and performed a plethora of outreach, not only did The Blunt Space manage to survive, we managed to thrive, and so did the artists and people of the communities we advocate for to this day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Currently, I am a freelance writer and graphic designer traveling throughout the state and country to perform spoken word poetry while serving as editor-in-chief of The Blunt Space’s digital magazine, “Defiance & Dialogue” and the new president of The Blunt Space Incorporated. I’m also back in my event organizing bag, creating poetry spaces and events within the Central Florida area such as our signature event, Connect & Collect and a few new projects and initiatives such as our Speak Yo Piece Writing and Performance Program and a monthly open mic starting in Daytona Beach, Florida within the coming months. As a performing poet, I have been writing for more than 14 years and performing for nearly 10 years and competed in several local, state, regional, national, and international competitions including Southern Fried Poetry Festival, Womxn of the World Poetry Slam, Stonewall International Poetry Slam, and Swampberry Jam. Most people would say that they would never in their wildest dreams think they would actually be doing the thing they loved, but for me, I always believed I was destined to do all the things I’ve dreamt of and that all started when I was exposed to the arts as a child.
Growing up in Liberty City, Miami, I was exposed to many creative outlets of the arts. When I was just four years old, I practiced ballet and hip hop at Edwin Holland School of Dance for six years; then, I got involved with music through singing and songwriting during my elementary school years and that caught some people’s attention. By the time I hit the 8th grade, I was invited to music studios to record songs and ghostwrite for several music artists in the Miami-Dade County area. It wasn’t until I reached the 9th grade where I was introduced to the concept of poetry slams (spoken word poets compete against each other under a time limit, rules, and regulations) that I truly started to fall in love with poetry. Since then, I went on to co-found my high school’s first poetry club and slam team, auditioned and accepted into the magnet arts programs for theater at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, and performed in spaces throughout South Florida.
Throughout my artistic journey, my cousins, aunts, and uncles have been huge supporters of my craft and career. Cousins telling people in rooms that they would talk business in that I would travel the world doing poetry on TV shows and award ceremonies one day. My Uncle Vincent (God rest his soul) having me showcase my poetry every holiday family gathering, reminding me to never forget where and who I came from. I have a great sense of pride in not just where I come from but also in my Afro-Caribbean cultural upbringing. Because of how much love that was invested in me, I aim to reciprocate that love through supporting my and other communities with the resources and access to the arts that have been threatened, time and time again.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Within the next five years, I see The Blunt Space expanding in the publishing world and spreading into other major cities for events along the Northeast coast. Although The Blunt Space has engaged in performative event curation and performative arts, we have been refocusing our efforts toward press and publication efforts while dismantling systemic practices of gatekeeping towards artists from vulnerable communities. The Blunt Space Inc. makes it our mission to serve marginalized communities with resources through art, advocacy, and culture, and will be providing opportunities to engage with our projects and initiatives through our publication efforts, events, and workshop services. Within the next ten years, The Blunt Space will have a growing staff of 20+ artists, creators, and leaders that are paid a living wage for the efforts they invest into the organization and local communities. Time and progress will tell and I am patiently waiting to listen to what they have to say.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.theblunt.space
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebluntspace/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBluntSpace
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thebluntspace
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/thebluntspace.bsky.social
Image Credits
Arjun Bala, Tamell “Big” Bailey, Kevin “Noir Jente” Campbell, and Mandi Mendoza
