SPIT, POET! 5 Spoken Word Collectives You Should Know
Spit, Poet! is a monthly series written by Taylor Steele that identifies the different and emerging trends, artists, and events in the slam community.
Though on the outside it looks as though spoken word and slam poetry are solitary ventures, there are actually quite a few ways in which poets can get together to share their art with the world. One of which is by slamming to be on a team representing a city/slam venue at Poetry Slam Inc.’s annual National Poetry Slam. These teams are comprised of a region’s top scoring poets. And though not necessarily inorganic, these teams only really exist for a few months out of the year, and might not band together to make work after the tournament. Another way poets create together is by putting together poetry collectives. What’s beautiful about the collectives that exist and tour and teach worldwide, is that they were created not only out of love for the medium but also out of these poets’ desire to work and create with one another. Simply put, they chose each other. Here are 5 collectives you should get to know:
divine fabrics collective
photo: http://divinefabrics.tumblr.com/
Who They Are
divine fabrics collective (DFC) was founded in the fall of 2012 at an iHop on the Lower East Side. Safia Elhillo, Camonghne Felix, Sean Des Vignes and Aziza Barnes make up this crew of young blk poets, whose aim is to write with nuance, artfully shit-talk and deliver new work at high octane levels.
What They Say
Divine Fabrics Collective Interview
Safia Elhillo — Self Portrait With a Yellow Dress
Camonghne Felix — Meat: A Reflection on Street Harassment
Sean Des Vignes — Mother
Aziza Barnes — Aunt Jemima
Why I Like Them
These young blk/brown poets are inspirational, how they hold fast to their truths and speak them unapologetically.
Where To Find Them
http://divinefabricscollective.tumblr.com
http://thestriversrow.com/divine-fabrics-collective/
Dark Noise Collective
photo: https://fatimahasghar.com/projects/
Who They Are
Dark Noise Collective is a nationwide, multiracial, multi-genre collective featuring some of the most exciting, insightful, and powerful poets writing today. Dark Noise is comprised of Fatimah Asghar, Franny Choi, Nate Marshall, Aaron Samuels, Danez Smith, and Jamila Woods. These poets, diverse in content and form, find common ground in their commitment to using art as a site for radical truth telling. They explore themes of identity, intersectionality, trauma, and healing in accessible forms without sacrificing the highest standards of poetic craft. Dark Noise explodes archaic notions of page vs. stage with their dynamism in all arenas of verse. Dark Noise poets have been featured on film and television projects including HBO’s Brave New Voices, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and Louder than a Bomb. They are also well-published poets who have garnered honors such as Ruth Lilly Dorothy Rosenberg Fellowships, Pushcart nominations, and a host of publication awards.
What They Say
Fatimah Asghar — For Jonylah Watkins
Franny Choi — For Peter Liang
Nate Marshall — Prelude (R.I.P)
Aaron Samuels — Covered in Grass
Danez Smith — Genesissy
Jamila Woods — Black Girl Soldier
Why I Like Them
They’re like Avatars the way they genre-bend. From poetry, to prose, to music, they are killin’ the game.
Where To Find Them
https://www.facebook.com/TeamDarkNoise/
https://twitter.com/teamdarknoise
Reparations
Who They Are
Reparations is a poetic performance collective who will take over the world without the help of white folk. They don’t need you. Unless it’s monetary. Then, give it to them. These radical, black, queer poets perform and teach workshops around identity, activism, trauma, and healing. Reparations, comprised of Ashley August, Timothy DuWhite, Roya Marsh, and Taylor Steele (yours truly!), became a collective after winning the 2015 Northbeast Underground Tournament Slam.
Individually, they have performed at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe, The Bowery Poetry Club, The Triad Broadway House, The Apollo, Cherry Lane Theatre, BAM, the United Nations, and many slam venues and universities across the nation. They have been published by such distinguished journals as Apogee Journal, Huffington Post, Blavity, The Body is Not an Apology, Blackberry: a magazine, The Rumpus, and many more. Their faces have been featured on Button Poetry, SlamFind, Def Jam, and “Orange is the New Black” — well, only one of them. They are ready to start a revolution. As a wise woman once said, “Pay me what you owe me!”
What They Say
Ashley August — The Game
Timothy DuWhite — Auntie Pearl
Roya Marsh — Blk Grl Puns
Taylor Steele — All These Bodies
Why I Like Them
I’m a little biased. So, I’ll leave it to you to decide.
Where To Find Them
Mayhem Poets
photo: mayhempoets.com
Who They Are
“Let’s go see a poetry show.” That is a sentence rarely proclaimed and usually responded to with cringes and excuses. The Mayhem Poets is comprised of writer/performers Mason Granger, Scott Raven, Mikumari Caiyhe, and Kyle Rapps. They are on a mission to change that. Having been dubbed “an amazing ride” by the New York Times, this mind boggling performance has been described as “The Simpsons meets Malcolm X at a Notorious B.I.G. concert”. These theatre-trained, comedically-gifted, lyrical virtuosos seamlessly blend raw elements of hip hop, theatre, improv and stand-up comedy to tell gut-wrenching truths that leave audiences forever changed.
What They Say
Mikumari Caiyhe — Sunshine
Why I Like Them
Their work transcends age. I’ll be laughing at them when I’m 50 and when, somehow, I’m 12 again.
Where To Find Them
https://www.facebook.com/MayhemPoets
The Other Black Girl
photo: http://www.otherblackgirl.com/Media
Who They Are
The Other Black Girl Collective is a Brooklyn-based black feminist poetry duo comprised of nationally acclaimed award winning authors Angel Nafis and Morgan Parker. Despite popular belief, we are not actually the same person. We aim to celebrate black female expression and sisterhood, honor and highlight the multiplicity of the black female experience, and push against tropes and stereotypes that smother and limit us, from Pootie Tang to Olivia Pope. Our work, deeply personal and individual, explores 21st century black American womanhood and its complexities: performance, depression, isolation, exoticism, racism, pop culture, femininity, family and politics. With energy, brutal honesty, dark humor, anger and pride, we aim to create a new Black Girl mythology– one centered around possibility and freedom.
We are finished being the only black woman– or worse, the only person of color– in a lineup for a poetry reading. We’re finished being the alternative to each other. We want to be called by our names.
What They Say
Angel Nafis — Conspiracy: a Suite
Morgan Parker — Brooklyn Is Masquerading As The World
Why I Like Them
Black Girl Realness Factor: 100
