Somi in conversation with Claudia Rankine and Helga Davis

Somi in conversation is a performance format anchored by the vocalist and songwriter Somi, whose work sits close to vocal jazz and narrative-driven song. At BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), she appears in dialogue with Jamaican-American poet and playwright Claudia Rankine and New York–based multidisciplinary artist Helga Davis, bringing music, text, and cultural criticism into the same frame.

Claudia Rankine and Helga Davis meet at the intersection of literature, performance, and civic attention, with appearances in New York City settings including BAM. Rankine, a Jamaican-American poet, essayist, and playwright, has built a body of work across multiple poetry collections and stage pieces, often shaping public language into critique.

Claudia Rankine has widened contemporary literature with her genre-defying works. In her first book after her celebrated American trilogy, presented with full-color visuals, Rankine collides the lyric with narrative, memoir, image, and essay to offer her most personal and emotionally resonant writing yet.

Helga Davis is a New York–based multidisciplinary artist whose work moves between acting, voice, and performance art. In New York City she has appeared at BAM, including an onstage conversation with vocalist Somi and writer Claudia Rankine.