mel·​on·​cho·​lia
from the Greek mēlopepon “edible gourd” + khole “bile”

1: somatization of intense emotion categorized especially by profound repression and social control
2: an excess of swallowed bile hardened into gourds
3: a speculative theory of fibroid growth in Black people

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Fibroids — benign uterine tumors — are often compared to fruit in size. While some are as small as apple seeds, others grow as large as watermelons.

Black people are three-to-four times more likely to grow them and tend to experience more severe symptoms. There's no medical explanation for their growth or this disparity. But as Aimé Césaire wrote, “Poetic knowledge is born in the great silence of scientific knowledge.”

Created by poet Kemi Alabi and featuring over a dozen Black trans and queer stories, MELONCHOLIA presents a speculative theory of fibroid growth, revealing what's been swallowed — and must be spit out.

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Donate to Black trans and queer people seeking fibroid-related healthcare.
Request MELONCHOLIA mutual aid funds for your fibroid-related healthcare.
Tip the creator and organizer; support more MELONCHOLIA content.

Read the transcript here.

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Interviewees in order of appearance: Kaleia Martin, Jenna Anast, Aya Nikole-Cook, Kamika Royal, elle roberts, Simone Austin, Vaness Cox, c.r. glasgow, Kaiji Evans, Je’Kendria Trahan, Ellis Vaughn, Charmaine Lang, Skyler Maley, m. mick powell, and Taylor Mason.

This story includes excerpts from MNN NYC’s segment “J Marion Sims: #NotOurHero” and June Jordan’s “Poem about My Rights.”

Produced by Kemi Alabi with support from Northwestern’s Women’s Center and Invisible Institute x Logan Center for the Arts’ Digital Storytelling Initiative.

This audio debuted on June 4, 2025 at MELONCHOLIA: A Black Rage Ritual designed by Kemi Alabi at the Green Line Performing Arts Center in Chicago. Interviews were recorded over video conference, phone, and in-person January-April 2025.