#WCW Anita Dias
Anita D is a spoken word artist and slam poet born and raised in Brockton, Massachusetts. She was first inspired to begin writing in a high school English class and used poetry as a healthy outlet. She was a very shy girl growing up, didn’t talk much and when she did, she often spoke softly. She wrote about everything she she was too afraid to say, and too afraid to face. There was a poet from HBO Def Jam she saw on YouTube by the name of Shihan. When she saw his poem ‘Type Love’ she thought to herself, “I want to do what he does one day”. In college, she surrounded herself with other artists for inspiration and would often take her work to a friend that rapped for him to read and give feedback. One day, he refused to read her work. Told her that her that she needs to read it aloud so her voice can be heard. Over the next two years she performed at every open mic and showcase her school offered, she also began to share her work online and asked for feedback from whomever would lend her their ears. As her passion for poetry grew, she became more honest with her story and her writing became dark. She fell into a depression and after a couple of years and it began to severely affect her work. She stopped writing and performing, began to abuse alcohol heavily and lost sight of any goals she once had. One day in the midst of all this darkness, Anita made the most random decision of her life to pack up and move to San Diego. She just wanted to get away. There was no goal or real plan, but something in her spirit was telling her she needed to go. So in July of 2013, she packed up all of her faith and took a one way flight to the west coast. A few months later she stumbled upon an open mic called “Elevated”. It was the night of their 8th year anniversary and Shihan was the feature. The following Monday she competed in her first slam, the day after that she went to another open mic called “Lyrical Exchange” and things began to snowball. The support and love that the San Diego poetry community has was overwhelming and so very necessary. Anita attended open mics on a weekly basis, began to asking for feedback and practiced everyday. Over the past 3 years, Anita has featured at venues all over San Diego, she has collaborated with artists from Boston, Southern California and Detroit. Since 2016 began, she has featured in various showcases, she wrote and produced her first chapbook entitled PAM (poetry after muse), competed with and against some of the very best poets in the world, became a member of the San Diego Slam team and with them, came in 2nd place at the National Poetry Slam this past August. She is currently working on her second chapbook and has features lined up at open mics, colleges, and community events in Southern California. She wants to be an inspiration to other writers, to other women and to her loved ones. Teach them that survival is an option, that we are all stronger than we think we are, and that we all have a purpose and we are all necessary.
“PAM” (Poetry After Muse) is a small collections of poems about life- “PAM” is $10 and can be ordered via PayPal: PayPal.me/AnitaDias. Keep up with Anita via her Facebook page & Twitter.
Who has been your most influential mentor?
Rudy Francisco has definitely influenced me the most. He is a famous celebrity in the world of poetry and I am incredibly lucky to have him as a not only a mentor, but a friend. Rudy was one of the first poets I met in San Diego, he invited me to my first slam and has been keeping an eye on me since then. He truly became my mentor early on this year when he began to host open workshops for Slam poets. I took full advantage and attended every one. In April I landed a spot on the San Diego SLAM team and Rudy became my teammate and coach. This past summer, the team went to the National Poetry Slam and took second place. We shared final stage with House Slam from Boston, who were the defending champions and took third place. Rudy has taught me so much about myself as a poet and performer. I don’t believe I am the same person I was just a few months ago and I think that is an amazing thing. I am a better writer, a more passionate performer and and overall stronger person. I owe so much of that to him.
How did you get where you are today?
I gave up once. I was in a very dark space & I couldn’t see a way out of it, so I gave up. I took a half of a bottle of muscle relaxers and went to sleep, content. I woke up after a few hours, in the most uncomfortable state I’ve ever been in. Instead of changing my reality, I tried to escape it. I wish I could have seen my own light in all that darkness sooner. But had I not broken, I would have never learned how to fix myself.
I wish I could have seen my own light in all that darkness sooner. But had I not broken, I would have never learned how to fix myself.
Today I am still working on me. I still have broken pieces and that’s okay, because I am my strongest self every day. Poetry has helped me heal tremendously. It saved my life.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Five years from now, I want to be in awe of myself. I want to be so proud of myself that I breakdown into random moments of happy tears. There are certain titles I want to hold and stages I want to touch within that time, but I want surpass my own expectations. When I started slamming last year I had little faith that I’d make the team and didn’t dream of coming in second in the nation. I never imagined having the mentors I do now. I believe I have the tools I need to make it to the next level and so I plan to continue climbing.
(Five years from now)…I want to be so proud of myself that I breakdown into random moments of happy tears.
What about your home city inspires you?
Brockton was nicknamed “The City of Champions” after raising Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, two of the best boxers to ever step into a ring. Today, Brockton is known more for its gun violence than anything else by the surrounding suburbs. I know my city has its bad days, and I get disappointed when I see the news more often than I should. But Brockton is not as bad as its portrayed to be. I think it’s a city that makes you want more for yourself. It’s a city that breeds fighters and it raised me well. I wouldn’t be the strong woman I am today had I not been raised here. The bad days inspired me to want more for myself. The dissappontment inspires me to work harder for my city. And the love I have for my home inspires me to never give up until everyone knows where Brockton is.
Brockton should be… A city people aren’t afraid of. It’s really not as bad as the media or these fearful suburban folks make it seem.
Brockton could be… A city where rappers and lyricists learn from each other, grow and build empires together but they’re too busy having beef over what side of the city they’re from or what color flag they rep when they’re momma ain’t around.
Brockton wants to be… The City of Champions. Always has been, always will be.
Brockton needs… Cameras on street lights and corners. I can’t take anymore stories about hit and runs especially when they involve children. Too many go unsolved because not enough witnesses speak up.
