Last night- flight to Vancouver

There is no way to wrap this up, no tape strong enough to hold it all together. It spills out like jello from a paper bag on a hot day.
This trip is a mixtape. It ebbs and flows, hits highs and lows, goodbyes, hellos. It twitches and stutters and floats and soars then crashes, only to dust off its knees and climb back up.
I’ve spent a month and a half in the air, on train tracks, on friends’ couches and floors, holding hands, staring deeply, breathing deeply.
All transformation starts from within, but sometimes you’ve got to get yourself out of the way. Is this right?
I often ponder how my life would be different if I had more confidence in my own abilities, in my own thoughts and ideas.

Josh (from NorthStar) called me a maverick the other day. I don’t know if that’s a tight fit, but I do know who I am and what I’m doing. And I’m doing it the best way I know how.

I’m not entirely alone, just a little lonely- and I really needed to write something so here it is, whatever it is. I’m sure I’m tired- flying 8 hours today, but it’s taken me 10 hours on planes… I’m just not yet ready to sleep. I’m not dehydrated, not hungry, just settled and slightly melancholy.

Yesterday & Today- Amherst, MA

Yesterday's thoughts-
"Today is Sunday. I’m sitting in a train station in Springfield, MA. Just left Boston: Rock the Bells (Pharcyde!!!)

and the New England Aquarium.
Just left Talya, after a LOOOOONG train ride....

and most of her family.

From here, I’ll be staying with, learning from and working with near strangers until I stop in Tucson to see my mom.
Haven’t yet communicated much with the many friends I’ve made along the way, but I believe some of them have kept along with my journeys.

Ordinary life seems so mediocre and colorless after all of these experiences. A great example of this was the Rock the Bells Show. No space to dance (really), smoke everywhere, people spilling drinks inside themselves… it was infantile. I remember when the greatest thrill of my life was standing in a large auditorium full of people who share my adoration of the musicians on stage. I’m certainly not 15 anymore. I’m comparing THAT experience to the hip hop show in Madison- educators institute folks everywhere, hoops to play with, plenty of dancing space, no clouds of smoke to dodge- totally different and MUCH BETTER show. Also comparing it to Sunfest. I suppose nothing beats a hometown party. Maybe I’ll come back for Sunfest?!"

Last night I went to a Sufi Zicr. It was AWEsome. Here's the Wikipedia link for more info. It was put on by representatives of an abode in New Lebanon, NY. The event took place at a beautiful zen buddhist/world religions center nearby (Montague, MA?).

All day today is brain work. My host, John, had a hoop (courtesy of a local Pioneer Valley hooper Shenandoah) and I got to wake up hooping today- GRRREAT! Now, I'm in NorthStar, Self-Directed Learning for Teens, in day of one-on-one conversations with the founders and staff. More on that later...

Wednesday I leave for Vancouver.

The Brave New Voices Recap

Brave New Voices Recap
Honestly, this festival was truly a pinnacle-turning point for me, in many ways... Youth empowerment is what it is all about!
Hint- The best part is at the very end of this post.
Here are a few narrated pictures of the action...


Opening day cipher at the Marvin Center- GWU.



License plate @ US Capitol.



Yes there is it!



Making friends- Profet and Gator.



Kira and George Watsky!



Kira, Lauren & Angela at the Kennedy Center.



Flags (HAITI!) at the Kennedy Center.



Johnny & Lauren: life is good.



Robert Redford introducing the Green Mic @ the Kennedy Center



DJ Dion “Decibels” Reiner-Guzman at the Coaches Open Mic



Robbie Q & MIcheal Cirelli, Coaches Open Mic



Queen GodIs “Look at my face.” Coaches Open Mic



Marc Marcel, Quarterfinals, Atlas Arts Center



Taos Poets represent!



Savannah GA poets waiting for the quarterfinal to begin.



Trinidad & Tobago showing love and pride!



Poet from Savannah, GA.



Poet from Connecticut.



Poet from Trinidad & Tobago.





Poet from Connecticut.



Pre-bout cipher- the view from the ground.



Providence stretches out- “we just came to dance!”



Poet from Providence.



Kira: “I am SO green.”



Happy mama duck, waddling through Washington, DC.



Lauren points out her truth!



My favorite Cleveland poet.



Matthew “Cuban” “I am not a crook” Hernandez.



Washington monument- There it is!



Whoa, its not that big after all.



Kira performs her piece as we Hear the Children Left Behind- Lafayette Park.





Johnny performs at the rally, Lafayette Park.





Two views from behind the stage- Hear the Children Left Behind, Lafayette Park.





After all the shouting, who cleans up the signs?



I found Tati!



Poets are all family! Love to you both- Lauren and Jasmine.



First Wave artists after finals at the Lincoln Theatre.



_______________________________________________________

OK- so the best part of the WHOLE FESTIVAL was definitely the finals.
Due to a mis-assessed time penalty, the BNV staff mis-identified the finals teams as Hawaii, Chicago, Rochester and New York City. Philadelphia had been the real 2nd place team from the Hawaii-Chicago-etc. etc. Semifinal, NOT CHICAGO. During the showcase that preceded the People's Championship final, the night before the finals, BNV participants were faced with the question- does Chicago drop out of the the finals or should they just add Philadelphia to the final four to make a final five? The audience voted to change the four team final to a five team final.

This caused a big problem, not for the festival... but for HBO. HBO was actually producing The Brave New Voices Finals as a Def Poetry special. They wanted an hour show, not an hour + show (adding another team = 4 more poems= 15 more minutes of pure poetry...). This was the 2nd of two HBO projects filmed at BNV- the first being a documentary about the youth poet participants, where separate film crews followed 4-6 different teams on their route to the festival, and then during the festival. Tensions between poets and cameramen were rising throughout the festival, and peaked onstage during the finals....

In the middle of the first round of the finals bout, Philadelphia's team takes the stage: THE ENTIRE TEAM. They explain, tearily, that the competition had broken their team, and that they were sick of being followed by the cameras and sick of thinking about only scores. They pledged to only perform the pieces they cared the most about, effectively disqualifying themselves from the competition (for violating rules related to the number of 'repeats' possible for any team).

Whoa, right?
But wait, there's more.

So the finals continue, and are AWESOME. I refuse to spoil the poetry by paraphrasing here, but it was DEFINITELY worth ALL THE STRIFE I WENT THROUGH TO MAKE THIS TRIP WORK.

After the last poem, the hosts invite all five finalist teams to the stage, and then disappear to collect the final score tally. The poets commence to sing and dance and chant and yell and hug and party... and then turn to chant "Sonia! Sonia! Sonia!" in honor of Sonia Sanchez, one of the five distinguished poets who judged the finals. She rises from her seat and indicates that she has something to say, at which the chants turn to "Give her a mic! Give her a mic!" The hosts return to the stage and finally give her a mic. She honors the poets on stage and performs a haiku written in memory of jazz legend Max Roach, and then provokes the youth poets to pledge resistance to any/all forces that attempt to censor/condemn them.

In the end, the hosts announce that Hawaii bested the other teams, and then they request that the poets separate into their respective teams for a competition picture to be used in the special. Jamaica, one of Hawaii's poets at the front of the stage, immediately refuses. "NO! We're one team!" Everyone on stage quickly join her chant: "One team! One team!" which morphs into "One mic! One mic!" and the entire auditorium unites in voice behind their comrades on stage. Well, all the youth poets in the auditorium. Many of the adults revert to "better safe than sorry" hush mode. One, near me, even says "Stop that!"

This goes on for approximately 5 minutes.

The producers come out on stage to plead, to cajole the poets into submission. The poets refuse to budge into 'formation,' locking hands. The adults cluck cluck and shake their heads (though an older woman behind me sided with the poets, shouting "Sell outs!" to the event hosts trying to keep order).

Well? The next generation CAN speak for itself. They proved themselves resilient, and irresistible. And they won.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE RESULTING 'MADE FOR TV' VERSION! All elements (including the loud "Boo HBO!" part of the protest) were caught on film.

HA!

Tomorrow I leave for Boston with Talya on Amtrak. I'll probably update this blog again on Sunday, after we attend Rock the Bells!

Live, from BRAVE NEW VOICES!

Here we are in Washington DC at the 11th Annual Brave New Voices youth poetry festival!!!
Who is the 'we'? Oh, only the first EVER West Palm Beach youth poetry team to attend this incredible event! Though we were wait-listed as a team (really sad because they've been working ALL SUMMER LONG on tightening their material for this!) we have really enjoyed ourselves these last few days. Pictures forthcoming...

Want to get in on the action? Visit the Kennedy Center online and play back the "Green Mic"- an annual part of the Brave New Vocies festival where a handful of poems (from the 100+ submitted) on global warming are showcased, and where a few of those are chosen for performance at the Sundance Film Festival! "For the third year, Youth Speaks teams up with Robert Redford and the Sundance Preserve to present a national spoken word forum on Global Warming."
Here's the link to see the event: Green Mic @ The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Oh, and yes: the Kennedy Center was BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so proud of these poets and so honored to be here!!

Yesterday we attended 4 quarterfinal bouts. One of the GREAT things about being, ostensibly, 'entourage' at these events is that we don't bear the burden of navigating this incredible experience with the stress that comes from competing. Brave New Voices is unique among large poetry slams in a number of ways, and one of the most important differences is that the festival itself does not emphasize the competition itself. First of all, there are about 40 teams competing- from all over the US... but a couple other countries are represented here too: Trinidad and Tobago, and two teams from the UK (Leeds and Manchester). Participants attend 2 days of poetry/organizing workshops led by inspiring leaders and poets from all over the US. Youth teams are generally coached, developed, and chaperoned by AMAZING adult poets, who lead poetry workshops for youth in their local communities- just trying to spread the love. When everyone arrives on the first day some participants get a little star-struck: adult poets they've only followed from afar are now... coaches on someone else's team!?!?!? A great example of this is Sunni Paterson- south Florida loves this woman, and it is easy to see why: she is simply incredible. She's also a coach for the New Orleans Youth Poetry Team! Another example, from last year, bears repeating: I brought MT Promise, one of the poets on Ft Lauderdale's team (I coached them last year), over to meet Mighty MIke McGee during an outdoor event the day after the quarterfinals. MT said, "You're my idol." Mike said, "Man, you're MY idol! That piece you did yesterday was awesome!" See, this is not your traditional poetry slam!

Today will provide more examples for analysis... after the semifinals we are all participating in a giant performance/protest at Lafayette park (in the free speech zone across the street from the White House) called "Hear the Children Left Behind." We all participated in workshops earlier this week preparing short pieces related to the current educational climate JUST for this event. I'm also working on a few pieces this week! Hooray! Time to write and inspiration, too?!?!?

By the way, Kahlil Gibran's short saying 'On Children' has been following me around throughout this ENTIRE TRIP. I can't enumerate here all the different encounters I've had with this statement... look it up, or (better) hear Sweet Honey in the Rock's version of it.

Oh, you want to hear about SemiFInals? The points aren't the point- the point is the poetry!

Pictures forthcoming...
PEACE!

Hip Hop Educator's Institute

The Hip Hop Educator's Institute featured presenters/participants from a variety of traditional and non-traditional academic environments as well as performers, poets, visual artists, and dancers.






This conference was intensely personal for most, if not all, participants. Sure, we modeled classroom activities, sampled critical approaches to hip hop as texts, wrote and shared lesson plans, explored prompts and writing exercises, built rudimentary beatbox skills... but we also looked deeply into each others eyes, spoke without speaking, confronted our fears, and performed our hearts out.

There aren't words for the gratitude I personally feel toward all the participants and Josh, Katrina, MIcheal Cirelli, Queen God Is, David Kirkland, Daniel Banks, Willy Nye, Kaheama Byer, Piper Anderson, Mark Gonzales, and Chris “Kazi” Rolle. I am a person much too small to say this, but thanks to Amiri Baraka who opened the institute with his talk (peep the flyer below, designed by the one and only Erika Bozinovski!!!).





Steve came over from Bloomington to attend the conference, too. I am SO grateful he was there- both for his own life work and also to be my compassionate brother ear.



To my new friends- I'll be back through Madison sooner than later. Until then, keep on! I LOVE YOU!








Go Asia! First Wave- WHAT?!?!?!





Passed Shelly in a rush through the Atlanta airport. We need to catch up! Somebody email somebody!

I'm in El Dub for one more day, then off to Washington for Brave New Voices, the national youth poetry festival presented by Youth Speaks... and I am ready to catch that fire!

Here's to hope and action!