About Top of the Zinc Roof
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Mitzy Sky's debut collection of poetry takes the reader on a journey through her life—from her childhood growing up on the island of Jamaica, her tumultuous move to the United States, and her struggles and self-reflection as an adult and parent. Tackling universal experiences such as faith and body image, mental health and motherhood, racism and love, her collection of deeply revealing and emotional rhymed and freestyle verse will touch a place in every reader's heart.
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WHAT'S THE WORD ON THE STREET?
"Mitzy Sky writes about her Jamaican background with love and honesty, and bares her truths and shares her troubling yet illuminating experiences with the mental health system in America."
—Ishle Yi Parks, Former Poet Laureate of Queens, NY & Winner of the PEN America Award
"Mitzy Sky's heartfelt poetry takes you on a journey of, hurt, forgiveness, healing and redemption. This collection serves as a powerful tool for personal transformation and self-love."
—James Mapes, TEDx, Best-Selling Author, Winner of the 2018 Milbourne Christopher Award for excellence in mentalism
"This brave and powerful book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the effects of generations of oppression on people today."
—Gabi Coatsworth, Author of Love's Journey Home& A Beginner's Guide to Starting Over
"In Top of the Zinc Roof Mitzy Sky takes us on a beautiful journey through her writing, bringing light to the full human experience the highs, the lows and everything in between."
—Amber Chavous
"Mitzy Sky gives us an insight into the spectrums of her life, the recognition of the ills of others, and the impact it had on her life from childhood through adulthood to the enlightenment of a determined mature space."
—Reverend Ina Alisa Anderson, Playwright, Director & CEO, Emerging Voices Production, LLC
"Mitzy Sky is this kind of Artist, her poetry eradicates that fog and brings the memories into the light. She explores the subjects we Caribbean people, no talk bout in front ah stranjah. She offers up her own journey through mental health, 'one of our most revered taboos' as a case study in self-love."
—Iyaba Ibo Mandingo, IyabArts, 2022-23 Korry Fellow
"Mitzy is a true poet who can use the power of the word to illustrate the depth of what it means to be human. From nostalgic memories that bring us closer to home, to vivid expressions of pain endured, this collection of poems paints the portrait of a woman who has, and continues to gain, strength and wisdom from her experiences."
—Kahseim C. Outlaw, Wellness Educator & Author
LIVE EVENTS
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Mitzy reading her poem "Grandma"
at The Bridgeport PechaKucha
December 11, 2022
MINI-INTERVIEW WITH MITZY SKY ABOUT
Top of the Zinc Roof
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What inspired you to write this book?
I was working on another book and thought it would be my first solo release. I was motivated to get it done within a few months. I felt the energy of it and was amazed at how quickly I finished the first draft. Then, a friend asked me to put forty-five minutes of poems together for his show. I gathered the poems and saw I had enough for a whole book. As I organized them, I saw how my thoughts had changed over the years. It reflected my journey where I was, what I had been through, where I am now, and how I continue to learn and grow. What drew you to poetry? That question sends my mind back to: “Jack and Jill went up the hill.” Then the next thought is my grandmother Mum reading Bible stories to me and sometimes singing them in her deep, spiritual voice every night when I was a child. It was comforting; that is my first memory of falling asleep at night. When I learned to read, my hand was the first one up in Sunday school ready to read the Bible chapters, and I loved the way the words sounded and the resonance of it all as a teenager in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As a teenager in Bridgeport, Connecticut, I was in a dancehall deejay crew (one person who spins the records and announces the rappers. While the rappers rap or sing the lyrics on the microphone). We wrote lyrics in rhymes and rapped them over Reggae beats. The ability never left me. Poetry has allowed me to reach the darkest pains, bring them up, look at them, and release them, allowing me access to joy from within. What's next on the horizon for you? Well, I can't shake my passion that turned into my purpose. My focus is on sharing my lived experience of moving through adversities that caused emotional distress and behaviors learned from feelings of helplessness and powerlessness. I am creating a Substack page called Beyond the Story: Letting Go of Internalized Oppression. I will share documented videos of my journey and offer coaching support to people with lived experience of using mental health services looking to move forward through emotional distress. A dream of mine is to turn Top of the Zinc Roof into a screenplay and a one-woman show, and I am reading recommended books and learning how to write a non-fiction novel/memoir. I also continue to blog/vlog at www.mitzysky.com. |