J.a.k Mussington (Cooper)

Currently, I am studying English and Japanese (on the side). I was forced into English, I wanted to be a Religious Studies major, but because I studied abroad in Japan and I didn't have enough credits to complete an Religious Studies major I am now an English major. So me and English have a love hate relationship. I am from New York City. I was originally born in the boogie down Bronx, but I moved to Harlem, which-in my opinion-is better than the boogie down, however the boogie down will have my unconditional love. I don't know what to tell people when they ask me about the city since most people have the Sex in the City, stiletto heels stereotype reeling through their brains as soon as I mention my place of origin. Or most people have this Crooklyn, guns being shot, ambulance blaring type image of the city, so when I tell people, 'I led the middle life,' they do not understand. It makes me wish I did lead either one of these extremes, so I wouldn't get that look. Living in the New York City was nice; gun shots, for me, were only heard in newspapers.

Damn without writing it seems like I don't have any other hobby, I'm a bore! I guess one of my hobbies is pretending to be artsy and cool (really I'm always nervous), but not like those stuck up artsy people. I draw in a sketch book, since one of my artsy friends gave it to me because she noticed I doodled in my notebook while in class. O' and buying random shit like wasabi and ginger plushies because they are cute \0/

I have had no bad experiences. All of my experiences were good. No complaints. In Creative Non-Fiction, for example, people seemed very supportive.

I'm into spoken word. I love people who get up there and just wow me. I can't remember his name and because I am too lazy to do a google search, but I +heart+ this spoken word poet. My favorite line from his poetry is, 'I defecated on your microphone,' I saw him in the Bowery Poetry Club and I was wowed. . . Don't get me wrong I've heard that phrase before Lauryn Hill sang-rapped it in Ready or Not but he made it new. That's what poetry is making things new. Leaving the listener or reader with an epiphany breathing through a sign. I try to avoid cliches. . . and not seeing the world through my eyes. We all see the world differently, another person's junk is one man's treasure, so if I find my poetry lacking in the JAK department then I want to scrap it.

I hope to accomplish JAK (maybe more of Jazmine because JAK is my pretending to me artsy and cool name :P ) .