1. What did I do in preparation for this evening? 2. What will I do in preparation for tomorrow’s tasks and activities?
3. What elements would I feature in my own BIO? 4. What aspects of me as an individual are unique?
5. What do I bring to the table in a community?
6. What am I looking to get from the table in community?
Introduction
Caught up in facts and figure’s commenting on carrying a new brand to peak,
the preorder for a lesser known band you find unique,
or a philosophy prof’s understanding of the meek,
I know for some it’s only Monday night
but it’s already been a demanding week.
The overwhelmingly world sometimes makes it too difficult stand and speak when heavy hearts and hands are weak.
Leave your worries on west third and be present for Brandon Leake
BIOGRAPHY
Brandon Leake is an Award-Winning Spoken Word Poet, Artistic Educator, and Motivational Speaker from Stockton, Ca. His creative mixture of art, charisma, and passion tailored to his own unique personal narrative has taken him across the world as a speaker and performer. Performing in locations such as New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, and 36 states around the country for his, “Dark Side Tour” which promotes his first ever published poetry chapbook and his then crown jewel “Deficiencies: A Tale From My Dark Side” an album rooted in transparency and healing (2018)
Brandon is also the founder and CEO of Called To Move – CTM an artistry organization with the pursuit of aiding youth in self-actualizing and personally developing through the art of poetry. This pursuit has led to Brandon leading workshops around the world with several curriculums he has developed himself, and in particular teaching youth in his hometown of Stockton, Ca.
Leake’s Family Affair aired as a CW special featuring several original spoken word poems about his family, including tributes to his mother and his late sister. The poet submitted his work for Grammy consideration.
“This album is a hallmark seal on one of Spoken Word Poetry’s most defining moments, the first nationally televised solo spoken word special,” Leake wrote. “This album is a commemoration of this iconic moment and just how far spoken word not only has come but still has to go.”
Leake’s previous album with Black Chakra, titled Level, was under consideration for a grammy the year before as well.
Brandon Leake was nominated for a Emmy for his 2:12 long spoken word piece commemorating the Golden State Warriors 75th anniversary as a basketball franchise in the NBA
Oh, and yes he is also the season 15 winner of America’s Got Talent.
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Golden State Warriors – 75th Anniversary
Spoken Word Piece (2:12)
Blowing Smoke Podcast
Season 10 Episode 3 (1hr. 30min.)
Brandon Leake | Emmy Nominated, America’s Got Talent Winner, Poetic Genius Speaks Volumes | S10E03
America’s Got Talent
Season 15 Winner – Brandon Leake
All Performances (24min. 30sec.)
Brandon Leake
Performance on Ellen DeGeneres
Tribute to Breonna Taylor (
Brandon Leake
Performance on Ellen DeGeneres
“The Secret life of Teachers”
Collective Breath – Poetry Book Club
March 6th, 2023
March Spotlight on Steven Antoine Willis
Bio From:
https://www.stevenwillispoetry.com/bio
BORN AND RAISED IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS…
STORYTELLER STEVEN ANTOINE WILLIS USES HIS POETIC AND THEATRICAL BACKGROUND TO EMBARK ON THE DAUNTING TASK OF CREATIVELY ARTICULATING AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE.WITH ART HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY URBAN LIFE AND RELIGION, STEVEN MIXES ELEMENTS OF HIP HOP POETICS AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE WITH FORMAL TEACHINGS OF ANTHROPOLOGY, AND POLITICAL THEROY TO HELP EXPRESS HIS ECLECTIC PERSONAL NARRATIVE. WILLIS IS A CONTRIBUTING WRITER TO THE BREAKBEAT POETS ANTHOLOGY, NYU’S NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TEACHER OF ENGLISH JOURNAL, IS A 3 TIME INDIVIDUAL WORLD POETRY SLAM FINALIST AND FORMER RESIDENT POET OF THE NUYORICAN POETS CAFE. WILLIS RECEIVED HIS MFA IN ACTING FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA IN 2021. HE CURRENTLY ATTENDS IOWA WRITERS WORKSHOP FOR POETRY.HIS FIRST FULL POETRY COLLECTION APECULIAR PEOPLE WAS REALSED WITH BUTTON POETRY IN 2022
Selected Videos:
Steven Willis – “Ode to the Boys Who Die to Make Hip Hop Happen”
https://fb.watch/j52FSpgDHB/?mibextid=v7YzmG
Steven Willis – “The First Time a Man Attempts to Fight His Father”
https://fb.watch/j53r5PhqPd/?mibextid=v7YzmG
Exodus 20:12 KJV by Steven Willis
Mystery Writing Exercise:
“….. It needs to house a veritable magician’s hat of items to exploit across adventures.”
Directions: Using this quote from the link at the bottom, compare and contrast the van from Scooby Doo with your own human body. Be as concrete or as abstract as you need to be. Place yourself on an international crime fighting expedition or as the lead detective in a supernatural mystery saga. See what you come up with.
Getting to Know Strangers
Directions:
Pair off in groups of two. Flip a coin. Whoever flips the other person calls. Whoever wins the coin toss picks between odds and evens from the list below. You now each have ten individual items to prompt an interview style back and forth until all twenty items have been covered. Each person should take notes on what the other person says and use those notes as a blue print for a poem that is half a conversation. The coin toss and using notes taken from others impromptu responses will emphasize the unforgettable and unforeseen elements we encounter in our communication with strangers. Good luck!
20 ways to start a conversation with a stranger
1. Gather information
2. Compliment the stranger
3. Bring up a shared topic
4. Introduce yourself
5. Ask open-ended questions
6. Stay up-to-date on current events
7. Offer to help
8. Share an interesting fact
9. Ask for their opinion
10. Ask for lunch advice
11. Comment on a viral video
12. Be straightforward
13. Ask for help
14. Discuss common interests
15. Make an insightful comment
16. Mention a shared trait
17. Ask a question about their background
18. Ask for advice
19. Comment on a shared activity
20. Tell a joke
Taken from:
Quotes:
“Marius and Cosette were in the dark in regard to each other. They did not speak, they did not bow, they were not acquainted; they saw each other; and, like the stars in the sky separated by millions of leagues, they lived by gazing upon each other.”
— Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.”
“If you age with somebody, you go through so many roles – you’re lovers, friends, enemies, colleagues, strangers; you’re brother and sister. That’s what intimacy is, if you’re with your soulmate.”
“We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken.”
“It’s good to remember that in crises, natural crises, human beings forget for awhile their ignorances, their biases, their prejudices. For a little while, neighbors help neighbors and strangers help strangers.”
“. . .sometimes one feels freer speaking to a stranger than to people one knows. Why is that?”
“Probably because a stranger sees us the way we are, not as he wishes to think we are.”
— Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1)
“2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
— Hebrews 13:2 ESV
Phil: “You want a prediction about the weather? You’re asking the wrong Phil. I’m going to give you a prediction about this winter? It’s going to be cold, it’s going to be dark and it’s going to last you for the rest of your lives!”
— Bill Murray as Phil in Groundhog Day
SMOKE QUOTES
“Marriage is like a game of chess except the board is flowing water, the pieces are made of smoke and no move you make will have any effect on the outcome.”
“There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke.”
— Vincent Van Gogh
“September 11… I will never forget feeling scared and vulnerable… I will never forget feeling the deep sad loss of so many lives… I will never forget the smell of the smoke that reached across the water and delivered a deep feeling of doom into my gut… I will never forget feeling the boosted sense of unity and pride… I will never forget seeing the courageous actions of so many men and women… I will never forget seeing people of all backgrounds working together in community… I will never forget seeing what hate can destroy… I will never forget seeing what love can heal…”
— Steve Maraboli
“The poets say some moths will do anything out of love for a flame
[…]
The moth takes off again, and we both step back, because he’s circling at eye level now and seems to have lost rudder control, smacking into the wall on each round. He circles lower and lower, spinning around the candle in tighter revolutions, like a soap sud over an open drain. A few times he seems to touch the flame, but dances off unhurt.
Then he ignites like a ball of hair, curling into an oily puff of fumes with a hiss. The candle flame flickers and dims for a moment, then burns as bright as before.
Moth Smoke Lingers.”
— Mohsin Hamid, Moth Smoke
Ashlee Haze is a poet and spoken word artist from Atlanta by way of Chicago. Earning the nickname “Big 30″ because of her consistency in getting a perfect score, she is one of the most accomplished poets in the sport of poetry slam. She has been a part of the Atlanta Poetry circuit for over a decade and has been writing over 15 years. Ashlee Haze is a 3- time Queen of the South poetry Slam Champion, 2-time Women of the World Poetry Slam Finalist and 2- time National Poetry Slam semi-finalist. She recently appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk series alongside Queen & Slim composer Blood Orange. Her sophomore book “Smoke” is available now.
(From Ashlee’s website: https://www.ashleehaze.com/ )
Videos:
Natural Hair Baptist
Self Reclamation in Three Parts
For Colored Girls
(The Missy Elliott poem)
NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
Hymn
(Redemption Song)
SIDEWAYS EIGHT PROJECTS 