The idea for this collection, Sisters Across Oceans, was inspired by the much needed conversation between influential Black women across the diaspora. Under the direction of poet-activist Karla Brundage, founder of West Oakland to West Africa (WO2WA) and editor of a previous production of a similar exchange, and a notable book of poetry, Our Spirits Carry Our Voices, she expanded her original vision of connectivity across the African Diaspora to Hawaii. In collaboration with the Links Inc., Hawaii Chapter and Ehalakasa, West Oakland to West Africa, hosted an eight-week poetry exchange between women in Hawaii, California, and Ghana. Using the renshi form, where each poem was started by the line of the poem previously received by the poet partners, the poets respond to each other's thoughts. This is why the book is ordered in pairs, such that each chapter reflects a paired exchange based on specific themes.
