Broadside Poets entertain, educate at Detroit Mercy
Elysia Khalil
Issue date: 1/21/09 Section: Features
*snap* *snap* *snap* *snap* - the cliché conclusion to a poetry reading. Not here. Here they are met with thunderous applause.
The Broadside Press Poets' Theater held its monthly meeting in the Commerce and Finance Building Sunday, maybe one of the only times that building has been filled with liberal arts enthusiasts.
The session showcased the talent and passion of the writers and performers of the evening.
Cassie Poe is a Detroit poet and mother. She began with readings of the highest caliber, readings that demonstrated her status in the city's poetic hierarchy. Amongst many other accomplishments, she was a member of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Detroit Poetry Slam Team, Slammaster, and coach of the 2006 and 2008 Detroit ByteThis team, and is serving once again as Slammaster for the 2009 ByteThis team.
La Shaun Phoenix Moore, who performed second, is a Detroit performance poet and activist for the Prison Creative Arts Project.
She is proud host of the ByteThis Poetry Series, which runs every Monday at Cliff Bells in Detroit. She was a member of the 2006 Detroit Slam Team and coaching assistant for the 2008 Detroit ByteThis Slam team. She is the co-Slammaster of the 2009 ByteThis Team and another high-ranking figure in the city's realm of poetics.
These two talented women kicked off the night's events.
A question-and-answer segment followed the first two readings. Students and other participants inquired about writing styles, formats and experiences before volunteering to read their own works before the seasoned audience.
Six eager artists volunteered, including juniors Alex Jones, Alexis Ellison and Deonte Osayande.
"If you're a good writer, you need to be here," said Jones. "This is an opportunity you won't always get, to speak in front of published poets who are there to give you feedback."
Aurora Harris, another literary light in the city and featured speaker at the November meeting, concluded the session with another question-and-answer segment and a reading of her own.
The Broadside Press Poets' Theater held its monthly meeting in the Commerce and Finance Building Sunday, maybe one of the only times that building has been filled with liberal arts enthusiasts.
The session showcased the talent and passion of the writers and performers of the evening.
Cassie Poe is a Detroit poet and mother. She began with readings of the highest caliber, readings that demonstrated her status in the city's poetic hierarchy. Amongst many other accomplishments, she was a member of the 2003, 2004 and 2005 Detroit Poetry Slam Team, Slammaster, and coach of the 2006 and 2008 Detroit ByteThis team, and is serving once again as Slammaster for the 2009 ByteThis team.
La Shaun Phoenix Moore, who performed second, is a Detroit performance poet and activist for the Prison Creative Arts Project.
She is proud host of the ByteThis Poetry Series, which runs every Monday at Cliff Bells in Detroit. She was a member of the 2006 Detroit Slam Team and coaching assistant for the 2008 Detroit ByteThis Slam team. She is the co-Slammaster of the 2009 ByteThis Team and another high-ranking figure in the city's realm of poetics.
These two talented women kicked off the night's events.
A question-and-answer segment followed the first two readings. Students and other participants inquired about writing styles, formats and experiences before volunteering to read their own works before the seasoned audience.
Six eager artists volunteered, including juniors Alex Jones, Alexis Ellison and Deonte Osayande.
"If you're a good writer, you need to be here," said Jones. "This is an opportunity you won't always get, to speak in front of published poets who are there to give you feedback."
Aurora Harris, another literary light in the city and featured speaker at the November meeting, concluded the session with another question-and-answer segment and a reading of her own.
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Anonymous
posted 1/23/09 @ 12:27 PM EST
Here's videos of Alex and Deonte reading on YouTube:
Alex: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VarTf4WraO4
Deonte: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKFyTr-ZNIQ
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