Blog Archives
Truthfully
I may not be an award winning poet
I’m okay with that
I may not be your number one entertainer
I can live with that
My words may not be academic enough for your approval
That’s not a concern to me
My writing may not fit into your formulaic style
Conforming never crossed my mind
My spoken word may not have flair and theatrics
Tell it to your Slam committee
You probably want me to write more erotica
In my mind, revolution is foreplay for freedom
That ain’t erotic enough for you?
You probably wish I would be less serious
Tell it to the 99%
Tell it to the mother struggling to provide for her kids
Tell it to the teenagers and their hoodies
Tell it to the voiceless political prisoners
Tell it to the homeless man on the streets
Tell it to the soldier struggling with PTSD
Tell it to the innocent victim of rape
Tell it to the girl who was kidnapped and trafficked
Tell it to the innocent people dying in a war they didn’t create
Tell it to the lost soul trying to find its way
Tell it to your God for placing empathy in my soul
and the gift of words in my mind
You probably think I should write more poems on love
Love is the foundation for every breath I take
You probably think I should write about God
Who do you think is guiding my soul?
You probably wonder how much longer will I keep it up
The answer, until God tells my soul that my work here is done
Until then
I’ll continue living the only way I know how,
TRUTHFULLY
Soulful II: Telling OUR own Stories OUR own Way
A night dedicated to the healing power of storytelling:
12/15/2012 from 8 p.m. until 9:45 p.m. @ at Café Rande Vu
2430 Broadway Ave, Oakland, CA 94612 (between 24th St & 25th St)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Please join us for “SOULFUL II: Telling OUR own Stories OUR own Way” on Saturday December 15, 2012 at Café Rande Vu in Oakland (2430 Broadway) at 8:00pm. Soulful is completely dedicated to the healing power of storytelling and on 12/15/12 we will be raising money to cover the medical expenses of Kim Glanville who on October 27th was shot 5 times in a tragic case of mistaken identity. Kim will be telling “Her own story her own way” on the 15th. In addition, we offer some of the hottest writers in Northern California. Check out the lineup.
Sean King
Sean King is a husband, a father, a writer, a published author, a spoken word artist, a computer geek, a community activist, a dreamer, and someone who loves life. He’s been fortunate to meet countless numbers of diverse people from all over the world and all walks of life, he’s performed on stages and in different venues across the country, and self published three books of poetry (Through My Eyes I, Through My Eyes II, and Hypnogysms) while simultaneously studying Computer Engineering. He is the mentor to numerous youth in the Northern California area and pledged Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., the greatest fraternity in the world.
Luisa Leija
Luisa Leija’s work arrives in the form of dances, prayers, and invocations of a universal spirit. Her words are smoke signals, calling us to recognize ourselves within the world we inhabit; a world that equally inhabits us. Drawing from the indigenous traditions of the Americas, native culture, and Mexican culture, Luisa unifies themes of community, family, history, and ceremony into a seamless journey through the mystery of human existence. A multi-genre writer, Luisa’s talents are as diverse and plentiful as her words. A search for transformation, for truth, for connection, is ever-present throughout Luisa’s work, an endeavor that is both timely and inspiring for our present world.
Sayre Quevedo
Sayre Quevedo lives in Oakland, California. He works as a reporter and producer for Youth Radio and has had worked featured on National Public Radio, Marketplace, National Geographic, Huffington Post and in the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been a featured poet at the Bitchez Brew and Lyrics and Dirges reading series’.
Vanessa Jezebel Delilah X
Feminist Afrocentric Black Queer Femme Lesbian Artist Writer Performer Curious Dreamer Fighter Champion Love-Warrior Activist Faerie Princess Mermaid Gangsta Revolutionary: Jezebel Delilah X, is a performance artist, writer, filmmaker, and teacher. She is co-host of East Bay Open Mic, Culture Fuck, a member of the story telling performance troupe, Griot Noir, and one of the founding members of Deviant Type Press. She uses a combination of performative memoir, theatrical poetry, and feminist storytelling to advance her politix of radical love, socioeconomic justice, anti-racism, and community empowerment.
Zarina Zabrisky
Zarina Zabrisky moved to San Francisco from Moscow to escape the aftermath of a collapsing communist empire. Her work has appeared in Eleven Eleven Journal, Bluestem Magazine and other publications in the US, UK, Canada and Nepal. Her debut short story collection “Iron” explores the nature of oppression, revolt and survival.
Kim Glanville
Kim was born in the Bronx New York 1982; 2 years after her mother came from Kingston, Jamaica. She comes from a line of Strong women that are no nonsense, independent and hard working. Her passions and commitments to community transformation through social movement and accountability have been the driving force in her personal and professional development. Her healing mechanisms are purging with the power of the pen and dancing to Soulful House. She is currently a grad student at the USF School of Education Human Rights program. On October 27th she was murdered into excellence by surviving attempted murder without fear, and thus owned her freedom to live.
Hosted by Roger Porter
PS Suggested minimum donation of $4 to the Kim Glanville fund or suggested purchase of Iron by Zarina Zabrisky….no one will be turned away. See you on the 15th of December.
This event will be Simply Beautiful and oh so SOULFUL
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOxFl4dna3o)
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