Why should I make myself invisible?
Me, soaked in gold. Me, with enough pockets
to hold all my bill money. Play money, too.
I might fuck around and buy
a pair of heels to match my fly.
I don’t mean to brag, but it is
what it is. Gone are the days
when somebody think they own me.
My reputation walk in the room
before I do. I don’t even wave
hello anymore; just strut in
—hand out, palm up—
before finding my place
under the spotlight.
Brittany Rogers is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and lifelong Detroiter. Her work has been published widely, including the Academy of American Poets, Lit Hub, The Hopkins Review, Lambda Literary, and Oprah Daily. She is Editor-in-Chief of Muzzle Magazine, co-host of VS Podcast, and the author of the poetry collection Good Dress, a Michigan Notable Book for 2025, and finalist for both the NAACP Image Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual Poetry (Tin House, 2024). In addition to being a finalist for Detroit Narrative Agency’s Emerging Filmmaker Fellowship in 2024, she was a 2024 resident of POWERHOUSE and a 2024 WOMXNHOUSE artist. In 2025, Brittany was awarded the Betty Berzon Emerging Writer Award and a Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellowship.