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Tag Archives: Poet
Wheels for Feet: “I Asked God” (Poetry by Juan C.Diaz)
I Asked God
At thirteen I asked God if he could make me human
He complied by ripping the thin layer of innocence
That encompassed my heart and tossed it into
The fires of awareness that have been burning
Ever since the droplets of apple juice were
Sliding down the chins of Adam and Eve
God then took a pencil and drew a door
On the surface of my heart which caused
It to bleed a little He then told me
To make sure to open that door
When my first love came knocking
Because as soon as she enters my
Heart a vast and beautiful kingdom will
Be created in its chambers letting me
Know that I am human
Artwork by Belle Deesse
Featured Photographic
Artwork by Fredric Leighton
Follow Juan C. Diaz on Twitter
@TearofwarzDiaz
Get to know Poet Angelica Poversky
Get to know Poet Angelica Poversky
By Patrick B. Hill
What is your name and where are you from?
My name is Angelica Poversky and I am from Vancouver, BC
What is your profession?
Firstly, I am an artist- a spoken word poet and media artist. I am also a full-time student at UBC in the Bachelor of Media Studies. And I am the assistant manager for the UBC Arts and Culture District!
At what age did you fall in love with art and why?
I began writing poems at a really young age. My first poem I wrote was on the first day of kindergarten. My dad inspired me and taught me about rhyming words and something about that enticed me. I think it was this idea that you can make the words fit rhythmically to an idea that I originally fell in love with. As I have grown older art inspires me and I fall deeper into bed with it for a whole multitude of reasons that continue to change and keep me surprised.
How important is art in today’s society?
Art is literally survival in today’s society. I don’t think there is anything that is more important when it comes to being able to speak truth, ignite imagination and share stories. A lot of times I see poetry as a tool for activism. I had the pleasure at performing at the recent 2017 UN Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial sharing the stage with Emanuel Jal and it really occurred to me in that moment how messages of peace through spoken word can bring out a lot of power and inspiration in all of us. On a personal note it works with overcoming hardships for sure, but there is something deep in the way it helps and heals others too.
There are little Angelica Pohveherskie’s out there that are either learning about poetry or learn it from their parents. Break down the moment of your first time writing and reading your poetry out loud to classmates. What would you tell those who want to be poets?
I can’t quite remember exactly the process of my first poem but something along the lines of stealing the rhymes of the Arthur Theme Song and slapping in some butterfly metaphors. The first time I shared my poetry I believe it was in elementary school where this Family Channel anti-bullying rally came as a result of my poem winning in their poetry competition! So that was cool and definitely thought that my poetry’s butterfly metaphors were hot shit! Anyways that was a hugely transitional moment for me because it gave me validation, even if my poetry was only good for a 10-year-old level, it was making bends already and I was excited to see what would happen. I think the younger you are the easier it is to believe in yourself because the future isn’t painted as specifically. I would say keep holding on to that childhood sense of hope and belief. I hang on to it like a magnet on a fridge. As you get older you see all the ways and specific to do list items you have to tick off to achieve your next goal. But all of that stuff, making business cards, submitting your poems to literary journals to inevitably get rejected, e-mailing people to book your next tour- are the gross and gritty things that make the beautiful art stuff happen in public. Keep building on that hope, knowing there is a lot more to be done than write poems to be a successful poet.
Love that statement. The first video we posted of your poetry performance was “Pluck me” which can be seen. Take me through that performance and the metaphor meaning behind “Pluck me” for readers who are watching the video for the first time.
Sure! So that poem is basically a discussion of my life as a woman where I am a “pretty flower” waiting for the right “plucker”. I divided the world into pluckers and flowers, or the binary of men and women. I use the garden metaphor to go into some more gender role stuff about what is expected out of femmes. I wrote this poem based off a few different encounters where I was told to be pretty or act in a certain way regarding what was assumed out of my gender.
When you are performing your poetry in front of a crowd, do you ever get nervous or are you more comfortable in front a crowd?
I used to feel nervous performing but now I definitely feel most alive in front of a crowd. I’m excited to share and be truly myself when I’m up there.
Okay. Seen that poetry organizations are integrating to YouTube to showcase poetry to viewers. Do you feel like the best experience for people to see poets perform is by showing up to a poetry slam event in their community or do you think this element is better than attending poetry night? How do you feel about it?
I think coming out to a poetry show is the best thing you can do. There is something in the air that will keep you coming back. My friends and I are starting a new show Between Three Wheels and we will be putting it up on YouTube (the whole hour) for those that want to re-watch or couldn’t have made it, but like any live performances the video can never quite do it justice. On the other hand I recently released a second poetry video with an art film to go with the words, and that is something that needs to exist primarily as a video where the performance would be missing an integral aspect to it. (That is until I can start doing performances with projections!)
As your poetry continuously grows. As a poet, what should be the goal for you in poetry? do you wish for your poetry to inspire people to reach their inner poet or is there something else?
My personal goal as a poet and artist is to shed light on different parts of humanity. Invite new ideas in. Stir up trouble. Expose problems. Explore imagination! All in hopes of healing, growing, laughing and thinking differently. That is how I want to affect my audience.
As an artistic programmer I do constantly create events and hope that people will make their own art as well, or engage with it in other ways if that isn’t their thing. But if it is their thing I love helping people get access to making that possible for themselves.
Want to know more about Angelica Poversky go to these links below.
Website link:
Facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/AngelicaPoverskyPoetry/
Instagram:
@angelicapoversky
YouTube link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC56EH7oQf083HLYFa5YTkwQ
Amaya Blankenship – “My Walk Home”
Performing at the 2017 Get Lit Classic Slam. The Get Lit Classic Slam is the largest teen poetry competition in Southern California’s history – where high school students from schools throughout Los Angeles County face off to “slam” classic poems by poets like Neruda, Lorca, Hughes, Dickinson, Angelou, etc. in combination with their own spoken word responses. The Classic Slam occurs every Spring around National Poetry Month for audiences of thousands. Scholarships are awarded to winning teams and bouts are judged by leading writers, actors, and artists.
Learn more about Get Lit: http://getlit.org/getlit/
Follow Button on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/SG5Xm0
About Button:
Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion, and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for
Emory Oakley – Burnaby Mental Health
Emory Oakley competed on Aug 14th, 2017 at the Vancouver Poetry Slam. This is Emory’s poem Burnaby Mental Health
YouTube channel: Vancouver Poetry Slam
Bianca Phipps a rising star
Bianca Phipps a rising star
By Patrick Hill @Pathill17
Bianca Phipps, a young Colorado spoken word poet, and actor. Bianca Phipps has performed countless plays from her child hood to her adulthood including “Hamlet.” She’s been part of the SOAPBox Production Slam CUPSI team from 2014 to 2015. For those who are not familiar with SOAPBox. It consists of undergraduate students of UNCO’s College of Performance and Visual arts with the shared goal of producing artistic projects and developments. Students would explore contemporary social and cultural issues through a theatrical medium. As Bianca Phipps enters her final year at University of North Colorado, she is prepared to tackle art outside of college. An art student with compassion and vision. Let’s not forget a poet. A very great poet might I say. She has written several poems including two most notable poems “The Heartbreaker” and her recent poem “Stay with me.” Both poems have push her to new heights. There is no bound what she can do. Her poet performance of “Stay with me” at the Button Poetry Slam night has garnish a lot of attention.
Her performance can be seen on video which you can find it on Button Poetry YouTube Channel. The video has over 65,075 views and has 5,564 likes. In the comment section of the video, you can see audiences rave about her performance. People quoting her words from her poem to compliments. One fan said her poem was “Amazing.” Another fan said, “let’s just appreciate how much talent this took to write.” While the other fan said, “Ever since I watched “Almosts”, I loved Bianca. Her choice of words is methodical, her voice tone alterations are opportune, her body language is demonstrative, and everything she does during her three-minute bits from pouring her feelings, to transitioning between intensities, to simply leaving the podium is perfect. Though I do appreciate impulsiveness in spoken word shows, I find myself fond of aptitude more… Bianca has both.”
Bianca Phipps “Stay with me” performance was powerful and touching. I manage to get in touch with her. I ask her questions about acting, art, performance, poetry, and future.
When did you fell in love with art?
I fell in love with art at a young age. I was always reading books: picture books, Nancy Drew, even my mom’s Reader’s Digests, anything I could get my hands on. It really opened up my eyes to the magic of storytelling and how many lives a person gets to live through stories.
What made you fall in love with art?
The moment I knew I was irrevocably in love with art was when I was nine. My mom took me to go see a live performance of Beauty and the Beast, and I spent the whole show on the edge of my seat. I had no idea that it was even an option to be a performer, and I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be able to bring stories to life.
Why is art important to you?
Art is important to me because it provides me with a platform to express parts of myself that I struggle to vocalize. Art is a universal language. I can show my vulnerabilities and my strengths. I can watch or read someone else’s work and find mirrors in the lines that reveal parts about me that I didn’t even know existed.
Who inspire you as a child and now?
I absolutely adored fictional characters. Hermione Granger and Nancy Drew were my idols as a child. I wanted to solve mysteries and learn magic. Growing up, I didn’t lose that adoration – but I do think I started to find people who reflected the qualities that I loved. Women who stood up for what they thought was right, not just for them but for everyone around them. Women like Maxine Waters, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ava DuVernay. Poets I look up to are Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Rachel McKibbens, and Raych Jackson – they all have such stunning, honest, and raw work and I hope one day I can be half as good as they are.
How important is art in today’s society?
Art is one of the most valuable resources we have today. Art elevates voices that are otherwise ignored. Art looks us in the eye and says, “what you’re feeling is not unique, and isn’t that relief?” It gives us the ability to find solace halfway around the world, and fight for justice in multiple ways.
Explain to me the absence of art would do to you and society?
I wouldn’t be alive without art. I don’t think that’s a statement that’s unique only to me. Art is my purpose and my drive. Without it, I wouldn’t be. On a grander scale, if art was removed from society, we would be stripped of our humanity. Art allows us to exist as someone else, and that someone else is always a real person. It humbles us. It connects us. It is what lifts us from the dust and gives language to what always feels unspeakable. Without it, we would be barren, lonely creatures.
When I saw your poet performance of “Stay with me,” I flipped the cup. Like literally flipped the cup. It was beautiful and brilliant. Describe that moment as you are performing that epic poem?
Ah, thank you so much! That poem is one of the most fun – and most difficult – to perform for me. I wrote it at a time where I was struggling to tell someone that I was in love with them – and tell myself that I was in love – and it took me weeks to figure out the line of thought that I wanted to follow through the poem. When I perform that poem, I always take a second to remember the way I felt when I performed it for the first time. And then I clear my head, and I start, and I don’t let up until it’s over.
Take me through the process of performing at a Button Poetry night. What was that experience like when you step on stage and when you step off after performing your poem in front of hundreds of people?
I’ve performed where Button is present a few times – at CUPSI, the collegiate level national poetry slam, and Rustbelt, a regional slam where “Stay With Me” was filmed – but I’ll talk about Rustbelt, specifically. There is no better energy than the energy at a poetry slam. Everyone in the room is cheering for everyone in the room, and they are such a responsive and emotive audience. There’s no shame. There’s no fear. It’s as large as a church service and as intimate as a house reading. Stepping onstage is always more frightening, I think – it’s a long walk from your seat to the stage, and the moment right before performing is so silent. And then you begin, and when it’s over, it’s a raucous celebration. There’s nothing like it.
Is it more difficult to memorize or show emotion?
For me, I think being able to honestly convey the emotion without letting it overwhelm me is the hardest part. I’m an actor, so memorization comes easy to me, but I am an incredibly emotional person, so giving the audience an honest performance without hurting myself is a fine line I am always trying to walk.
I notice you are involve with acting from films to theater. How long have you been acting?
I’ve been acting since the seventh grade! I’ve always been a very performative person, and when I started taking classes in middle school, I was swept away. Theatre is how I discovered slam poetry – so, it was all meant to be, in the end.
It almost seems like you can do anything. I mean you are just involving with a lot. What is your goal at the end of the day? Where do you see yourself in five years?
Oh, thanks! I like to keep myself busy. At the end of the day, if I can pay the bills with my acting, I’ll be happy. In five years, I like to see myself as a professional performer, living comfortably with my boyfriend and a cat we rescued. (The cat might not happen, but a girl can dream!)
So, what are you doing now, and what can we expect from you that we should be on the lookout?
I am currently in a production of Romeo & Juliet with Nebraska Shakespeare (so, if you live in Nebraska and want to see a kickass, sixty-five minute production of R&J, let me know). I’m in the works of writing a second chapbook, but writing is a slow process, so that won’t be out for another year or so. Follow me on Twitter or Instagram to know what I’m up to in my daily life!
You can order her book “White River Happiness” in the link below and you can follow her as well.
Follow Bianca Phipps on instagram
@Biancaphipps
Follow her on twitter
@biancabeee
Follow her on Tumblr
http://biancaphipps.tumblr.com
Follow her on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BiancaPhippsARTS/
If you wish to book her at your poetry slam event, email her at
biancaphipps95@gmail.com
Order “White River Happiness” book on Amazon.com :
Bianca Phipps – “Stay With Me”
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Performing at Rustbelt 2017 in Minneapolis, MN.
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About Button:
Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
Aaron Coleman – “It Is Not a Question of Memory”
Get Aaron’s brilliant book, St Trigger, here: http://bit.ly/StTrigger
Subscribe to Button! New video daily: http://bit.ly/buttonpoetry
Performing at his book release party in Minneapolis.
Button Facebook: http://facebook.com/buttonpoetry
Button Twitter: http://twitter.com/buttonpoetry
Button Instagram: http://instagram.com/buttonpoetry
Button tumblr: http://buttonpoetry.tumblr.com
About Button:
Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.
We seek to showcase the power and diversity of voices in our community. By encouraging and broadcasting the best and brightest performance poets of today, we hope to broaden poetry’s audience, to expand its reach and develop a greater level of cultural appreciation for the art form.
Neon Renaissance Magazine: The Blog 