My friend, Tom Gordon, reads one of his poems from our new anthology, Poems for Hungry Minds, by the Highland Avenue Poets.
Sometimes, I have something to say, and poetry is a way for me to say it.
– Tom Gordon
By
Charles Kinnaird
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| Voice Porter (BPL photo) |
“Yeah!” the crowd would respond.
“Let’s hear it for our next poet!”
And the crowd would go wild, even if I
was the next poet walking up to the mic.
It was an exciting happening that took place at the Birmingham Public Library on the first Friday of every month (with the exception of December). Usually, a local musician or band would get the evening started, and then Voice Porter (aka Brian Hawkins), would hold the room spellbound as he emceed a night of poetry. There would be “headliner” spoken word artists interspersed with any poet in the audience who wanted to sign up to present his or her work.
That was how Brian Hawkins operated. He
bought people together, he celebrated the arts, and he lauded the spoken word.
A supremely talented spoken word artist himself, Brian would often present his
own work which we always loved, but most of the time, he ceded the stage to the
artists he loved and to any poet in the community who desired a voice.
Helping Artists Find their Way
Several years ago, when I was re-entering the world of poetry, I decided to take advantage of every open mic that I could. I believe in the power of poetry and especially value the spoken word. Being an introvert may be an advantage to my writing, but it is a handicap when it comes to presenting my work. I knew that poets were receptive audiences and that I could only benefit by making myself get up before an audience whenever I could. One of the best and most reliable opportunities was with Brian Hawkins at Bards & Brews.
While I benefitted from the open mic
opportunity, I benefitted even more from Brian. It was the way he celebrated
local talent and brought the community together. I heard some of the best
spoken word artists in the area because of Brian Hawkins. He took every
opportunity to support local talent. In fact, that was his “soapbox.” He would
tell the audience at every event that he wanted us all to use SOAP, which was
his acronym for Support Our Artists, Please. He lamented that local artists
often felt the need to go to Atlanta, or Nashville, or even New York and Los
Angeles to hone their craft. Brian wanted a community that could support and
encourage its artists enough that they did not have to leave town to find their
way.
Feeling the Loss
I am still reeling from the loss our
community experienced with the unexpected death of Brian Hawkins this week.
Many are telling their Brain Hawkins stories, and many knew him far better than
I did. There is much more of his life to celebrate than I can recount here. He
named himself “The Voice” and he worked tirelessly to help others find their
voice. Brian Hawkins cannot be replaced, but we can honor his memory by continuing
to come together to celebrate the art that is already at work among us.
_________________________
[Learn more about Brian Hawkins at the WBHM Public Radio website]
Those who wish to offer support for Brian's family may make a contribution at Penny Foundation, Inc.
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Here is Wendell Berry's well-known poem, "The Peace of Wild Things," read by the author and illustrated in a poetry film by Charlotte Ager & Katy Wang with the On Being Project. Having grown up in the country, I often took refuge in the woods near our home when I was a child. Holding those memories in addition to many experiences in nature through the years, I can attest to the truth of Berry's poem.
e.e. cummings does a delightful reading of his poem, "in just spring."
[in Just-]
in Just-
spring
when the world is mud-
luscious
the little
lame
balloonman
whistles
far and wee
and
eddieandbill come
running
from marbles and
piracies
and it's
spring
when the
world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old
balloonman whistles
far
and wee
and
bettyandisbel come dancing
from
hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan
whistles
far
and
wee
Galway Kinnell reads his poem, "Wait," a poem he wrote as advice to a troubled student. Found on the Poets.org YouTube channel.
A beautiful reading by British-Canadian actor John Neville of John Keats' famous sonnet, "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be"
From the YouTube notes:
W.S. Merwin reads his poem "Yesterday." Part of the Poetry Everywhere project airing on public television. Produced by David Grubin Productions and WGBH Boston, in association with the Poetry Foundation. Filmed at the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival.
A couple of years ago, a representative from the Starbucks Company walked into a local Starbucks coffee shop in the Birmingham area and happened to meet a young spoken word artist named Brian Hawkins, aka Voice Porter. They struck up a conversation, Brian shared one of his poems, and the Starbucks rep was so impressed, they made a video of his recitation and flew him out to their convention. We're glad that The Voice happened to be getting coffee that day. Here is Brian Hawkins' poem via Starbucks Presents:
Morgan Freeman's voice adds weight to whatever he speaks or narrates on film. In this interview, he recites from memory a poem that has had meaning for him.
"Invictus," by William Ernest Henley is the poem that inspired Nelson Mandela to persevere through hardship.
National Poetry Month
The poet often taps into what Jung called our collective unconscious, giving voice to our humanity and meaning to our struggles. A good poem, therefore, tells us something we already know. When we read it or hear it we say, “Ah, yes.” An exceptional poem tells us something we are on the verge of knowing. When we read it or hear it, we say, “Oh my!”
~ Charles Kinnaird
National Poetry Month is upon us once again! This month on
my blog, I will be celebrating the spoken word from a variety of poets. In some
cases, we will hear the poets reciting their own work, in other cases, we will
hear others reciting poetry from well-known poets. I hope you will take some
time to listen, perhaps to say, “Ah, yes,” or maybe even to exclaim, “Oh my!”
Be thinking about poems that you remember, or poetry that has had an impact upon you. If you could pick one poem that is a favorite, what would it be?
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