“What do you see when you turn out the light”

a few changes on the links to yo left.

first and foremost, please go read rich villar’s blog… not because he says many nice things about me (although that is a VERY good reason) but rather because rich has a great head on his shoulders, keen insight and is just starting to get his feet wet with all the madness and love that is nyc poetry. rich is also part of tonight’s team acentos (add myself, fish & jayme to that mix) that will take on team nyc|union square and team (should have been) urbana (taylor, dawn, RAC & shappy). the team had a coaching session yesterday at GK’s that went pretty damn well… of course, i was using all the techniques i was able to pick up from rog when he coached me for the semi-finals this year and i was able to translate that input directly to our team which will have, at the very least, four different personalities displaying four uniquye perspectives on their indivdual cultures, backgrounds and daily trepidations.

fish took the coaching like a pro and in just thirty minutes was able to add some nice nuances to his “headlines” poem by just pointing out the small things in the poem and his delivery that will translate into big bucks on his performance. we were able to get his voice to come “one octave below yelling” for some nice moments in the piece and i hope he enjoys the feedback from the crowd and runs with his new found range in voice.

jayme has a KICK-ASS poem that just needs jayme to be… jayme. she doesnt need to be particia smith or brenda moozey or lisa king or srah jones to make this piece come alive, she just has to be herself which shows how really strong the poem is. we were also able to get her to be “one octave CLOSER to yelling” by having her practice from another room which required her to break out of her whisper shell and attack the mic more.

and rich was just fantastic. his poem is SO good and just the tiniest edits for time purposes was all it took. slam means that all ears are on you and rich will definitely have some heads turning tonight.

as for me, i’ve got a lil surprise i’m working on…

also added to the links:

go to maya’s site and check out a rising star while she still has time in her schedule for nyc cuz this girl will be blowing up. maya, along with christian and ivan, kicked it hard at the rikers showcase last friday and gave all the fellas of the freshstart program the same warmth. intensity and soul she has given at 13, westside rhyme, her birthday jam; meaning, this girl only knows one way to perform and that recipe is going to take her mad places but she also hasnt forgotten where she comes from and that is beautiful.

tony brown has a live journal up. i’m eagerly awaiting his thoughts on his home grown reading series and hope that his thoughts will help me cement some of my ideas for acentos.

emanuel xavier also gave 100% at the rikers showcase but has been a great friend and warm soul ever since i met him at the cd recording for 5past13. his feature at the blue ox is still a high point, performance wise for us.

i have never actually met krystal ashe but i am feeling her gully.ness and no nonsense approach to curating so i’m also hoping her blogging will aid in keeping poetry going strong in the south bronx.

“by the power of greyskull!”

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