Brave New Voices
Last year I wrote about how Brave New Voices, a documentary about Spoken Word/Poetry Slams brought me to my feet cheering and left me crumpled on the floor weeping - and all the time inspired me like no other Art Movement has in a very long time. Last season's episodes are being re-broadcast as a buildup to this season. And I especially wanted to share something particularly... well. Powerful. Angry. Defiant. Tender. Eye popping. I want to find the DVD series, because I can't seem to stop watching all the episodes, thoug the Finals had me pretty much swathed in tissues for a solid hour. Anyway. Given my current physiological struggles and the (now) year long creative dry spell, I was particularly grateful to be reintroduced to this young lady and her poem, Crutches.
http://this.org/blog/2009/05/20/thisability-27-a-brave-new-voice/
and be reintroduced to the entire, amazing Youth and Future of America. One Voice. One Team. One Mic. "America, rediscover your humanity."
Tell me something; how do we so often manage to overlook the wisdom of Youth and only take notice, and bad notice at that, of the passions? How is that we lose sight of the truth behind the passion so easily? And how, by the mercy of the gods, have we survived this long, whilst ignoring what our children have been trying to tell us for generations? How have our children become so wise in the ways of violence and despair, unless we taught them? And at the same time - we also taught them to stand up and SPEAK and try to change the world, even though WE were taught to stay silent and accept our fates.
Somehow this seed - this VOICE is in all of us. I encourage you to tap into what these kids have offered - and let it fill you up like the light it is meant to be. If you watch the whole series - I guarantee you, you will cry and you will cheer and you will think an see in ways... in ways you may not remember, but you once knew. I assure you, your perception will be different.
http://www.hbo.com/russell-simmons-presents-brave-new-voices/index.html
http://this.org/blog/2009/05/20/thisability-27-a-brave-new-voice/
and be reintroduced to the entire, amazing Youth and Future of America. One Voice. One Team. One Mic. "America, rediscover your humanity."
Tell me something; how do we so often manage to overlook the wisdom of Youth and only take notice, and bad notice at that, of the passions? How is that we lose sight of the truth behind the passion so easily? And how, by the mercy of the gods, have we survived this long, whilst ignoring what our children have been trying to tell us for generations? How have our children become so wise in the ways of violence and despair, unless we taught them? And at the same time - we also taught them to stand up and SPEAK and try to change the world, even though WE were taught to stay silent and accept our fates.
Somehow this seed - this VOICE is in all of us. I encourage you to tap into what these kids have offered - and let it fill you up like the light it is meant to be. If you watch the whole series - I guarantee you, you will cry and you will cheer and you will think an see in ways... in ways you may not remember, but you once knew. I assure you, your perception will be different.
http://www.hbo.com/russell-simmons-presents-brave-new-voices/index.html