Annotations for Structure: Speaker Introduction

Wendell Otley, followed by Yapet Brinson.

Good afternoon.

My name is Wendell Otley, and um, I want to thank you first before I start, since I won't when I'm finished.

Um, my poem is Damnation.

Yafet

Brinson, followed by DJ Renegade.

Hey, what up?

How's it going?

My name is Yafet.

The poem is called Roman Catholic Hit and Run.

D.

J.

Renegade, followed by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Somebody go wake up Shakespeare and tell him DJ Renegade's in the house.

Ta-Nehisi

Coates, followed by Dorothy Marie Wright.

Um, I am Ta Nehisi Coates.

That's alright, everybody do it.

Um, and I'm from Baltimore.

Um, but I came down here, I guess, with the DCP, because that's where I go to school.

I'm gonna read a piece entitled, Last Night.

It goes like this.

Dorothy Marie Rice followed by Michael Collins.

As I read this poem, well, before I read this poem, I want to make a comment to Bert, my friend, and say, I won't explain.

He understands.

And also give homage to Gwendolyn Brooks, who said, it's okay to have a poem that's not crafted.

This was written this morning.

Michael Collins, followed by Tony Blackman.

My name is Michael L.

L.

Collins.

I'm from Indianapolis, Indiana.

I'm a jazz poet, and I love reading jazz poems, and I love the fact that out there there are not only other

poets, but poets out there with books, and poets out there teaching.

So it means also that I have, there's an audience that listens, it's not just waiting here to read.

But anyway, I read one time, and I, like I said, I love doing my jazz poems, I read one time in Indianapolis,

I read one of my jazz poems, and Mari was out in the audience, and uh, You know, I thought I did pretty good.

Toni Blackman, followed by Jonathan Gray.

Toni Blackman, followed by Jonathan Gray.

Next we have Jonathan Gray, followed by Kwame Alexander.

Jonathan

from Howard University.

Peace to all the brothers from 8 Rock.

Um, if you think this poem applies to you, then it probably does.

Kwame Alexander, followed by, uh, Nehassaiu deGannes.

Um, next we have Nehassaiu deGannes, who also is responsible for us having this forum.

and after that, Erica Jackson.

I'm an African American poet, African American in the hemispheric sense.

I was born in the Caribbean and grew up in Canada.

I'm considered an alien in this country.

I've, uh, lived in Philadelphia for the last three years, so, um, I'd like to read this poem.

Double Dutch girls in West Philadelphia Jump sidewalk cracks home Not breaking mama's back is Sun straddling grid work And heavy iron trellis of an L

Um, next we have Erica Jackson, followed by Jaifa, I'm sorry, Tyepha Walden.

Good afternoon.

Um,

these are two parts from a five part poem that I wrote called, um, Brown Tiles and it stems from an assault that

I suffered in 92 by a boyfriend that I had with fair skin and blue eyes.

And the first part is the third part of the five part poem.

It's called Stained Glass.

Tyepha Walden, followed by Nakia Green.

Hello, my name is Tyepha Walden.

And today I'm going to read a poem called My First Love.

It's a personal letter I had written to God this summer.

Nikea

Green, followed by Patricia Johnson.

Hi,

my name is Nikea Green, and I'm a senior at Henrico High School.

And this poem is called, I Really Love You.

And it's dedicated to all the young black girls whose mothers really love them.

Patricia Johnson, followed by Monifa A.

Love

Monifa A.

Love,

followed by, finally, for, who is Tim Wells.

Good afternoon, everyone.

This poem is entitled Maximum Security, and it's dedicated to Evans Hopkins, a brilliant writer who is doing life in a Brookville, Virginia penitentiary.

Okay, um, this is kind of participatory, uh, and I also have a poem for Gwendolyn Brooks.

It's kind of like I'm putting two poems together, but um, in this first poem, um, whenever I put my fist up, I want you to say, shut up, alright?