The Last Time I Said "Do Over"

I'm BACK!! I've been traveling and such and I'm finally back and ready to share some great poetry with you.

During my most recent trip to the NYC, I met an awesome Nigerian author who's working on a coming of age story about a little boy growing up in a Nigerian boarding school. I was so so honored to get to hear bits from his unpublished manuscript...and so inspired that I'm featuring nothing but African poetry for the next week or so...at least until I get it all out of my system:-) I will beg and plead for this anonymous author to send through some stuff for me to post, but until then, check out the piece below by Bassey Ikpi.
I've already featured her work a few times on this site and I can't think of a better way to kick off my very own African Poets Week.

This piece is no exception. Honestly, I watched the vid a few times because it was so my elementary school life. Like....I haven't heard the word "Do Over" since 1995. LOL. I'm a nerd, but Bassey is, quite simply...amazing. I found the words on the Turning word into Verb blog and decided to include them below...for those of you who prefer to read.

Enjoy!!



Sometimes silence is the loudest kind of noise
BY Bassey Ikpi

Like sometimes it was best when
Girls were girls and boys were boys.
Like back when freeze tag was a mating dance.
Like back when "Do Over" meant you got another chance.
Like back when anxiety was worrying if Wonder Woman would make it out alive.
Like back when freedom was sliding backwards on a slide.
Like back when success was jumping off a swing and
Landing on your feet, then
Doing it all over again.
Like new shoes made you run faster.
Like getting Ms. Gross again for math was a disaster.
Like failure was a word we hadn't even learned to spell yet.
Like promises were sealed and kept with pinky bets.
Like a challenge was a double dare.
Like ugly was a cock-eyed stare.

And you liked it...
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Introducing my (Other) Cousin Chris

I've been trying to get better acquainted with my classic writers, so I decided to do a bit of digging on Christopher Marlowe this weekend. The only thing I knew about him when I started was that he was a character in "Shakespeare in Love" (lol...I'm sure he would be turning in his grave if he heard that), but after a quick google search, I found loads of gossip on his quite scandalous life. My kind of author:-)

He was born to a well-to-do shoemaker and a clergyman's daughter, yet was almost thrown in jail for religious blasphemy.
He lived a sort of double life - academically exemplary, while all the while acting as a government informant on the sly.
Even the authorship of his plays and poems has been called into question many times, but there are about six or seven plays and countless poems that historians have agreed he penned.

One of his early works Tamburlaine the Great is considered to be the first, popular play to be featured on London's public stage. Marlow was certainly more playwright than poet, but he left the world (well before his time, if you ask me) with the oh-so-famous lines from The Face of Helen -

"Was this the face that launched a thousand ships,
...And burnt the topless towers of Ilium?
Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss."

::SWOON::

According to Theatrehistory.com

"Many details of his life were a source of scandal to some of his contemporaries, and for us are still shrouded in mystery. In May, 1593, a manuscript was discovered in Kyd's possession which he declared to be Marlowe's left' with Kyd in 1591 when he was in the service of a noble lord for whose players Marlowe was writing. The document--merely a copy of part of a theological treatise already published--though unitarian in nature, was atheistic in the eyes of the orthodox. Testimony as to blasphemous conversations on Marlowe's part was also produced. Before the privy council took definite action about the charges, Marlowe was killed. Puritan disapproval of his connection with the stage and of his free-thinking perhaps influenced Meres' statement that he was stabbed "by a bawdy serving-man, a rival of his in his lewd love." Records discovered by Hotson merely show that he was stabbed in a tavern in Deptford by Friser, one of three companions who also were, or had been, in the service of the government."

So, there you are. Not nearly comprehensive, but hopefully enough to wet your whistle:-) Wanna learn more? Wiki!!

Poem Hero And Leander
BY Christopher Marlowe

It lies not in our power to love or hate,
For will in us is over-rul’d by fate.
When two are stript long ere the course begin,
We wish that one should lose, the other win;
And one especially do we affect
Of two gold ingots, like in each respect:
The reason no man knows; let it suffice,
What we behold is censur’d by our eyes.
Where both deliberate, the love is slight:
Who ever lov’d, that lov’d not at first sight.

Do You Know - Lynn Procope?

If you don't know, now you know:-)

Lynne Procope hails from Trinidad and Tobago and is a full-time poet/ teaching artist living in New York. In over 10 years on the poetry scene, she has made quite a name for herself! In addition to being one of the founders of the New York City louderARTS Project,Lynn was also a member of the Nuyorican Poetry Slam team that went on to win the 1998 National Poetry Slam Championship in Austin, TX.

Her work is influenced by her experiences as a woman and often speaks to the trials of marginalized populations. She is an awesome performer, but her real strength is in her writing. Every line is packed with so much depth that you often have to re-read/ rewind to catch the full meaning. An absolute lyrical master, Lynn is pretty much the defintitin of a deep sister. Some of her most famous works include "Elemental Woman", "Flectere" and "Evidence of Injury".

check her out in this interview -


watch her slam!

On Second Thought
By Lynn Procope
"Black girls in short shorts and last summer’s high heeled shell toes
Blacker than we were last year or a month ago because finally, finally the sun
Black girls in head wraps the season we discovered Africa on Fulton st
Black girls in low, low rise jeans the year our city burned
And all we could do was hold each other’s hands
Laugh with our mouths wide open
Loud enough so each of us could hear the other’s tears
Smothering in the backs of our throats
Pointing to where the towers used to be to
Trying to see through the plumes of soot
Black girls who move to New York
To slay their mother’s perfect church dresses
To raise the ante on their mother’s stole ward hips
To forget the way their fathers came home
To make good on promises to all those old, old black ladies at the family reunion
To play god with their own lives, for a change"

Meet - The Word THUG!!

If you haven't heard of this lyrical master, then you havent really lived. (yes, I'm very fond of hyperbole, but this is the gospel truth!) Anis Mojgani is a spoken word artist, musician, and visual artist that continues to surprise, inspire, and impress me every time I see him. I was going to write this totally kick-A profile on the new love of my life:-) - but, looks like Ananda Osel of CommonLine E-Mag beat me to the punch.

Why re-invent the wheel?! Check out this great interview below.

Interview by Ananda Osel
Common-Line E-MAgazine

We’ve all been urged to say something, to speak something dynamic into existence. To spit raw emotion from deep within our chests and off the tip of our tongues. We’ve all been impelled by this natural and ardent force… only to find that perhaps at that moment in time and space, the words were not with us. We lacked distinct articulation and rhythm of wit over diction. Later we find ourselves replaying that moment again and again in our minds.

Anis Mojgani is a spoken word superhero. His poems bleed pure energy into anyone who cares enough to open up and listen. Anis’ poems manifest the distinct articulation and raw emotions we’ve all wished we had at one time or another.

While listening to Mojgani’s poems I could not help but be moved- and to relate. That’s what grabs you about Anis’ work. He’s puts your emotions into his words, making them horrific and beautiful all at once. Whether from his powerful poem Shake the Dust, to the electric Rock Out, or the melancholy lyrics of Cradle, Anis grabs hold of your guts and gently earthquakes you to attention.

Anis is the current (2007) World Cup Poetry Slam Champion and the
2005 & 2006 National Poetry Slam Individual Champion (a back-to-back honor shared only by fellow artist Buddy Wakefield). He is also the 2006 Seattle Grand Slam Champion. Anis has been featured on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, National Public Radio’s ‘The Beat’, and in the documentary 'Slam Planet: War of the Words'. You can also find his work in Spoken Word Revolution Redux and in the literary journal ‘Rattle’. And all of this is for very good reason.

--------
Ananda Osel: What sets your work apart from other slam poets?

Anis Mojgani: I don’t know. I really try not to compare myself to other poet’s work. There are a lot of poets out there that are coming from a similar place that I am, so in that regards there are slam poets out there that I can’t set myself apart from. I know its semantics, but if a poet doesn’t have semantics what does he have? I do think that if one goes to a slam that I’m competing in, some things that may seem different between myself and several other performers is that I try not to perform. I simply share a poem that I’ve written and open myself up to be allowed the same affect that hopefully it will have an audience member. I concentrate heavily on the written text and the image and respect the audience enough not to pander to them. I understand that no one’s going to get all that I’m saying, not even if they were reading it, so I try not to dumb in down cuz that doesn’t respect the craft nor does it elevate the audience.

Osel: What influences does your writing and performing draw from?

Mojgani: Influences aren’t currently in the bag, as I think that young artists have influences, older artists have inspiration. Of course that’s not a blanket statement, but at least for me these days that’s how it is.

Influences in my path: Jeffrey McDaniel, Richard Brautigan, Bukowski, Gregory Corso, Kerouac, MF Doom, Aesop rock, Robert Rauschenberg, Basquiat, Chris Ware, Frank Miller, Saul Williams, Whitman, Savannah, GA, New York, New Orleans, being broke, being a hermit, shoot the piano player, the Baha’i writings and history. Inspiration though is a more frequent occurrence, and comes from a variety of sources; other poets, art, comics, novels, movies, observing people, our country and the affect it has on its citizens. Flowers. Donuts. Moths. The moon. A good cheeseburger.

Osel: How much of your work comes from direct experience and how much comes from observation?

Mojgani: It’s a mixture. I try to keep myself open to observing people, trying to get a better understanding of how we as people act and react to certain situations. I think that the better understanding one has of human psychology, the more successful one’s art can be at communicating its intent. I try to take what I learn from observing and apply it to my own experiences, cuz when it comes down to it that’s the only person that I can know the most about.

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Rachel McKibbens Blogs!!

If you're a Rachel McKibbens fan like, me, you'll be overjoyed to know that she is a fellow blogger...holla! I first heard of her on IndieFeed and was so happy when I stumbled across her blog this morning. If you haven't heard about this bad a$$ poetess, well, now's the time to get hip to it!

She was kind enough to include the text of this poem in a recent blogpost. Way to read my mind Rachel!!

"A mama forgets what her weapons can do.
Can't know which of her failures
will be what does it."

Besides being an all around rockin' chica, Rachel also recently took home the title spot in the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWps). She is (was?) the slam master of the New York City LouderArts Project - a not-for-profit arts corporation committed to developing constructive and challenging spaces for artists to create, critique, present, and teach poetry. Rachel also apparently "collects butcher knives in her spare time:-)" You can thank Mongo for that last bit of trivia.

Check out her blog .

Introducing the ZaatarDiva

Like most of my favs, I was turned on to the Palestinian-American poet/activist Suheir Hammad by HBO's Def Poetry Jam. It wasn't until I had the honor of seeing her spit live at a Palentininan students poetry night at my college, though, that I truly fell in love.

When you first see Suheir, the thing that gets you are her eyes. They're simultaneously soothing and arresting. Of course, she's absolutely gorgeous (which makes the words that come out of her mouth all the more surprising) but don't be misled. This is one deep chica. She delivers every word with a sincerity that is deliberate and purposeful.

Suheir understands life in paradox- Her writing hearkens back to her immigrant roots while illustrating her Brooklyn NYC life with hip hop fury. She extends that same complexity to the tales of others she constructs. With the eloquence of an expert weaver, she peppers tough topics (war, rape, love, heartache) with a fiery tenderness that is often lost in the modern spoken word movement.

In case you can't tell, I'm a fan:-) I think hers was actually the first poetry CD that I bought.

Among her many, many accolades, Suheir also currently holds the third place spot on The Poetry Foundation's list of Best Selling Books from Small Press (ZaatarDiva by Suheir Hammad - Cypher Books). She's been in the game a long time and has managed to still stay on top.

I've included a few of her better known works below. Enjoy:-)

Mike Check



What I Will

"I will not dance to your war drum
I will not lend my soul nor my bones to your war drum
I will not dance to your beating
I know that beating is lifeless
I know that skin you are hitting
it was alive once
hunted
stolen
stretched
I will not dance to your war drum"

Artist Spotlight: Carlos Andres Gomez

I fell in love with this man during spring break a few years back. I was flipping through channels on my friends TV when I realized that he had HBO (yay!!) and the Def Potry Jam was on (greater joy!!). When Carlos walked up to the stage and started speaking, I was totally spellbound. His words hit me so hard that I had to rewind it a few times.

This man is a genltle genius who weaves words together with deliberate beauty. If you don't know, please get hip to it!

By Sarah Higginbotham on February 1st, 2007
Brass Magazine

Carlos Andrés Gómez has a way with words. He's been called a prophet, praised for his powerful message on and off stage. The 25-year-old award-winning poet and actor has made it to the National Poetry Slam Championships twice, performed on HBO's Def Poetry Jam and grabbed a leading role in Spike Lee's blockbuster, Inside Man. If you haven't heard this "spoken-word" artist on Telemundo or the MTV-U-sponsored Fight Apathy Tour, you might have heard of him: His performances generated over $40,000 to fight HIV/AIDS. Straight from the mouth of this former social worker and teacher comes a message about speaking up, making a living as a modern-day poet and helping others.

Carlos Andre Gomez Live from the Nuyorican


1. Prophet: One gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight; especially: an inspired poet.

He stands luminescent under the spotlight, eyes glowing. His hands whip left and right. The audience holds their breath as words flip off the stage, potent in their honesty and raw emotion.

On stage or off, Carlos tells it like it is. In the world of poetry slams, where energetic poetry performances are scored Olympic-style by audience members, Carlos learned to drop verse as entertaining as any Top Forty rapper.

"Some like it spelled out," he almost whispers in a performance of his poem breath stroke. "But my love doesn't speak literacy, and these metaphors don't sing literally, and these stanzas aren't about imagery or simile. Quite simply this is about a feeling..."

On the slam stages he found a platform to talk about issues he cared about, making us re-think our views on HIV/AIDS, violence, racism and poverty. "Often times the greatest writing is putting down on paper what you know you shouldn't write," Carlos says. "The greatest writers, the greatest painters, the greatest artists, are the ones that are putting down the last thing in the world that you should put down."

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Artist Spotlight: Nikki Giovanni

I just discovered that this dynamic god-mother of poetry - Nikki Giovanni is a local...hooray!! Although she has traveled far and wide during her prolific career, Ms. Giovanni once called Cincinnati home!

"Yolanda Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943, and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1960, she entered Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked with the school's Writer's Workshop and edited the literary magazine. After receiving her bachelor of arts degree in 1967, she organized the Black Arts Festival in Cincinnati before entering graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.

In her first two collections, Black Feeling, Black Talk (1968) and Black Judgement (1969), Giovanni reflects on the African-American identity. Recently, she has published Acolytes (HarperCollins, 2007), The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 (2003), Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not-Quite Poems (2002) Blues For All the Changes: New Poems (1999), Love Poems (1997), and Selected Poems of Nikki Giovanni (1996).



A lung cancer survivor, Giovanni has also contributed an introduction to the anthology Breaking the Silence: Inspirational Stories of Black Cancer Survivors (Hilton Publishing, 2005).

Her honors include three NAACP Image Awards for Literature in 1998, the Langston Hughes award for Distinguished Contributions to Arts and Letters in 1996, as well as more than twenty honorary degrees from national colleges and universities. She has been given keys to more than a dozen cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Miami, and New Orleans.

Several magazines have named Giovanni Woman of the Year, including Essence, Mademoiselle, Ebony, and Ladies Home Journal. She was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award. She has served as poetry judge for the National Book Awards and was a finalist for a Grammy Award in the category of Spoken Word.

She is currently Professor of English and Gloria D. Smith Professor of Black Studies at Virginia Tech, where she has taught since 1987."

Artist Spotlight: Marc Marcel

Marcel started writing in April of 99, and since, has compiled thousands of unreleased poems, as well as several novels. Originally beginning by writing novels, he started writing poetry several months afterwards, and since, has just released his 5th Spoken Word CD. He sees life, as nothing less than finding a passion and being dedicated to it, and in his work, he promises to capture the emotions and feelings of a number of different issues, from politics, love, self revelations, and the struggles that come with life.



Marc Marcel has had poems published in several anthologies, and has guest featured on numerous other artists CDs around the world. He has appeared on television on such shows as The Poet’s Corner, and has appeared on many radio stations across the nation, either talking about his travels or having tracks from his CDs being played in rotation. Marcel has had articles and interviews printed in magazines like, The Rolling Out, Good News Magazine, and St. Louis Argus Newspaper. He was also a member of the 2004 Pensacola, and 2005 St. Louis SLAM teams.

He took his first steps into the world of poetry when he first hit the Spoken Word scene in January of 2000, where since, he has traveled across the country, exploring all 4 regions (over 60 cities) performing and living off his poetry. Marcel has also performed, done workshops, or spoke at colleges such as Harvard, MIT, Buffalo State, Georgia Southern, Louisiana State University, and Tennessee State University, along with appearing at many high schools, and Correctional facilities. Within the years that he has started performing, he has compiled a list of many historical venues that he has been featured. In the summer of 2004, Marcel then traveled across seas to perform in London, Bristol, Munich, and Prague.

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