This time around it’s all about politicians. And since politicians like to be loud, I’ve made this post as loud as possible. All spoken. Check it out.
Roger Bonair-Agard lived in Trinidad until moving to New York (see his poem, The Boy Became Black at JFK) where he became active in the Nuyorican poetry scene, and participated in the Slam Team in ’97 and ’98. He also co-founded louderARTS where he currently works as artistic director. The following is a performance of his piece, Song for Trent Lott, which he wrote after that politician made comments about an alternate history in which Strom Thurmond had been elected president… it may be of interest to know, Bonair-Agard wrote another poem addressed to Trent Lott. There is a video available on youtube.
Darian Dauchan has appeared on tv, Broadway and off-Broadway shows. He competed in 2006 on the Nuyorican Slam Team, won Grand Slam Champion in 2007 with the Bowery Club’s Urbana Slam Team, and was 2008 Nuyorican Grand Slam finalist. He also has recorded at least two solo albums. The following is a performance of Damn You, Barack Obama…
Allen Ginsberg was an American poet who was active in the Beat movement. He is most famous for his poem, Howl. Some of his favorite themes deal with materialism, conformity, and political issues. This recording of his Hadda Be Playing On A Jukebox was performed by the music group Rage Against the Machine. Although Ginsberg gave many readings, I could not find any original recording of this piece in my limited online search.
Taylor Mali worked as a teacher for 9 years (see his poem What Teachers Make) and now holds workshops and lectures for students and teachers. He has been on 7 National Poetry Slam teams. This is his piece, How To Write A Political Poem.
