The 11th annual Southampton African-American Film Festival at the Southampton Arts Center will wrap up a day of short and feature films on Saturday, November 19, with a night of spoken word headlined by Dominique Fishback, a rising star of stage and screen. A native of East New York, Brooklyn, Ms. Fishback said during a … Continue reading Dominique Fishback To Perform Spoken Word At Southampton African American Film Festival (via 27east)
Full Title: Poetry off the page: New Orleans artist intertwines spoken word, activism In school, poems usually come bound up in books, printed on pages. Students read Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, all the regulars. Mwende Katwiwa hated it. It wasn't until she heard spoken word poetry, performed by a group of young people, that she … Continue reading New Orleans artist intertwines spoken word, activism (via NOLA)
Boston Masconomet senior Alanna Cahill will have her poetry entry in the National High School Poetry Contest published this fall. There's just one problem: She’s not crazy about the poem. "I was surprised because I didn't really like that poem," the 17-year-old Boxford resident said. "I submitted it because it's not so personal. It was … Continue reading For Masconomet student, it’s JUST POETRY!!! (via Wicked Local)
One poem lists American military operations: Beastmaster, Hickory View, Riverwalk, etc. Another lingers with dark, dry humor on “WARHEAD MATING” and “HEIGHT HOLES.” A third injects missile-technology lingo into the Book of Ecclesiastes: “For what is your life? It is even a THERMAL SHADOW.” The poet responsible for these verses is Solmaz Sharif, and when … Continue reading The Weird and Beautiful War Poetry of Solmaz Sharif (via Newsweek)
In an interview with the Register, Gioia described how his Catholic faith informs his art and why beauty is vital to evangelization.This autumn, Dana Gioia, California’s poet laureate, has resumed his teaching duties as Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Culture at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He is currently teaching “The … Continue reading California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia on the Poetry of Life (via National Catholic Register)
Made of spit and spirit, cunning and chaos, deliverance and destruction, Kristiana Rae Colon's "Octagon" takes apart the world of slam poetry with bravado and brio. Though at times self-indulgent, self-conscious and insufficiently clear in its exploration of sexual politics — well, that too feels honest to the characters onstage. They're learning how to read … Continue reading ‘Octagon’: In the messy world of slam poetry, what’s real? (via Chicago Tribune)
During the American Civil War, Lt. Col. William McCullough, fighting for the Union, died heroically trying to rally his troops during an ambush. He was one of thousands who perished in that deadliest of American wars, but President Abraham Lincoln had a personal connection to this soldier. He had become acquainted with the McCullough family … Continue reading Music and the Spoken Word: ‘You are sure to be happy again’ (via Deseret News)
Stephen F. Austin State University The Office of Multicultural Affairs will be hosting Muslim Spoken Word, an event to express the Muslim experience at 7 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the BPSC Theater. “[The event is] educational yet entertain- ing,” OMA Assistant Director Dr. Griselda Flores said. “The audience will be able to learn more … Continue reading OMA to host Muslim Spoken Word to Shed Misconceptions (via The Pine Log)
No one has been a fiercer critic of the Nobel Prize in Literature than I. It’s not the choices that are made, though some (Elfriede Jelinek, Dario Fo) have been truly bewildering; it’s just the silliness of the idea that a group of Swedish judges, always the same, could ever get their minds round literature … Continue reading Bob Dylan: The Music Travels, the Poetry Stays Home (via The New York Review of Books)
Tor Aronson had always enjoyed writing, but had never really fancied himself much of a poet. It wasn’t until his eighth grade teacher submitted a poem of his to the Poetry in Motion contest at Wilton Library that Aronson began to consider poetry seriously. “I was a little bit skeptical as to whether or not … Continue reading ‘Poetry in Motion’ helps Wilton youth find their voice (via The Hour)
