Posted by By Michelle Bell
Last Thursday’s spoken word event at the South Dallas Cultural Center was both engaging and inspirational. Hosted by dynamic National Poetry Slam Champion Mike Guinn, the evening was thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking.
The set kicked off with an introduction from Mike, to warm up the crowd. He is well-versed at getting the party started and credited as the leading performance poet in Texas.
Various poets were featured throughout the evening – including other national slam poets like Madden, Audacious and Big Ant. Madden is an up-and-coming national poet with such an infectious style that has garnered national attention and a spot in the upcoming slam team to compete in St. Paul, Minnesota this year. Madden’s piece opened the set, with a compelling account of teenage angst and mischief, and all the bad influences of the world. Audacious and Big Ant performed as a duo on a piece along the same vein – scars and wounds of life.
Sprinkled in amongst the veterans were Explicit Bravery and a collective called Unseen Hands – with multiple pieces about elevating social consciousness, empowerment, and societal issues. They performed as solo or duos, “To Become The More That’s of You”, “Black Folk”, and “Peace.”
Big Ant returned later in the program with a controversial and intensely provocative piece called “Dear Black America” – a gritty call-to-action and commentary on Barack Obama’s presidency and supporters.
The featured poet for this month was a refreshing surprise, Calvin Davis, a poetry champ in his own right. He recited clever pieces with simple but unique word play, and caught both the ears and hearts of the audience. Harmonic Flow, another featured artist, ended the night with high energy and enigmatic analogies in “I’m a Gamer” and “Picture.”
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