[on the telly] kill bill vol. 1
[on the cd player] radiohead- amnesia
[sustenance] chicken mole tamales eaten with chopsticks
[burning] sage

i am going thru brave new voices withdrawal. i cannot even express what i have seen in the past few days. basically,the youth taught me something. they taught me to have hope in the wor(l)d. they taught me that being jaded with poetry is a choice and it is up to me to choose loving it again. they taught me about comraderie (wish they taught me how to spell it.) and i have learned that i have been isolating myself from a community i misunderstood. and they have misunderstood me. i have alot to thank melinda for that.


((( break from typing to watch anime sequence )))

highlights:
10. the kitchen on 43rd street at leimert park (the fried chicken, greens and yams)
9. people sportin' the brave new voices shirts
8. medusa and brother j rippin' it at the ebell theater
7. hosting with melinda on friday night's "bridging the beat"-(dude, that woman is amazing)
6. finally meeting vanessa, wendell's cousin
5. saul williams being moved to tears
4. taos team moving me to tears
3. finally meeting jojo and angela from isang mahal
2. hanging out with the folks from seattle. we went dancing. damn, it's been a minute since i did that
1. most memorable was when ypsilanti team did a group collab saying "it's ain't about the competition" and every teen poet that participated in this glorious event went on stage and danced and hugged and closed the event by teaching us that the word is living.

honorable mentions: venice beach, downbeat 720, roscoe's chicken and waffles, dj quixotic, rachael kaan, dj jedi, last minute manicure and pedicure, seeing vanessa at the venue, my new spring wardrobe, michael cirelli's new text book on teaching hip hop and poetry in the class room, pomona college's cream puffs

lowpoints:
1. i keep fuckin up on stage when i was hosting! i said something that came out all wrong. i hope nobody hates me. stupid alfie
2. my hot shit shoes were killing my feet. but they were hot though
3. missing the saul william's free workshop
4. missing blu
5. the withdrawal pangs

but that was about it. not alot of low points...



youth speaks, a damn great organization!


suzie reppin' J.U.I.C.E rippin' it


james kass, executive director of youth speaks


melinda and joanie of youth speaks


me and melinda, hosts of "bridging the beat"


being silly in the dressing room


more time to kill


ok,i know.enough...


medusa on the mic


brother j from xclan, taking it back


ratpack slim


saul spittin' a poem with the youth on stage with him


after the grand slam, with the youth dancing on stage behind us


pocho joe, poet and coach of the downbeat 720 team


babu, poet


danielle, painter and law student, whu-whut!


lisa, fontana coach


beth, coach and ebony of peace garden team

congratulations to oakland/berkeley youthspeaks team for taking it! much love and respect to all the poets!