One Crazy Summer

Cecile's printing press occupies her kitchen table and is the means by which she publishes her poetry and contributes to the Black Panthers’ cause (albeit with reluctance). Cecile’s press symbolizes her voice as an artist and her prioritization of being an artist over being a mother. While Cecile goes through the slow, deliberate process of setting up the type for printing her poems, Delphine states that Cecile looks like she is “fixed in prayer” (109). This comparison to praying shows that Delphine recognizes that the work of an artist is in some ways sacred. It is set apart from ordinary experiences, and therefore worthy of reverence.

Cecile's decision to set up her press in her kitchen—a place associated with food preparation, family, and nurturing—reflects her unwillingness to assume the responsibilities of motherhood. When she allows Delphine to help her print a poem, the print turns out lopsided. Cecile claims that the print is a waste of paper, signifying her belief that creating art is solitary work and not something she is willing to sacrifice to build a relationship with her daughter.