I’ve finally secured a URL with our official name so it’ll be easier for readers to remember! Please take note that the new URL for diVERSEcity is:
http://diversecityblog.wordpress.com
From this point on, there will be no more updates to this site, you must follow the link above for the most recent content!
Thank you all for your loyalty and I’ll see you at the new spot! 
This week marked the beginning of my birthday celebr
ation. On Thursday of last week, my friend and soror, Luz Celenia, told me about an awesome deal on a Jazmine Sullivan ticket (they called it the stimulus sale, lol). What better way to start off my Birthday Week than with a Jazmine Sullivan concert? I immediately hopped on that deal and on Monday night at 7pm I was on my way up 295 to Sonar in Baltimore City.
We were a half and hour late and the show still hadn’t started (which I wasn’t mad about because I thought we were going to miss alot of the show). I promised my sister that I would have long term amnesia in terms of everything prior to Jazmine Sullivan. But let’s just say that Kia or Key Calloway (whatever her name is) should be shot.
Ryan Leslie was the sub-headliner (I guess that’s what you call it?). He opened up for Jaz and did a pretty good job. I had never heard of him before that night and apparently I was missing out on something because as soon as he walked onto the stage the ladies went CRAZY! He’s a medium height scrawny little guy with a big personality. He jumped around that stage so much I was sure that he couldn’t have been singing for real! He was cool. Not my type of music, but cool.
After he left, the stage dimmed and the crew set up the band for the next set. We waited for about twenty minutes before the stage went dark and the room went crazy! We knew that meant Jazzy was on her way to the stage. I was so excited. This girl is amazing! If you haven’t heard her sing, here’s a little glimpse:
She sang almost every song on her album and even covered a few songs. She sang a cover of Kanye West’s song “Heartless.” Replacing the word “woman” with “nigga.” It was classic. She’s so versatile and I love that about her. She ended the show with “I Need You Bad” – a woman’s anthem laced with a reggae track and Missy Elliot’s voice subtly in the background.
The concert was priceless…I would pay to see it all over again the same exact way. She’s a star destined to be a legend. 
This weekend I decided to finally support one of my good friends and soror. As I ventured out onto the unfinished streets of D.C. on Saturday, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect (from the event, not my friend). We were attending an event called Artomatic on M St. in SW. We walked into a huge building that looked like it might be an office building once it’s finished. We took the elevator with a bunch of tourists to the 3rd floor and stepped out into a wide, open, unfinished space.
The space was filled with art work. Paintings, sculptures, masks, photos, tattoos, EVERYTHING! It was surreal. I felt like a real adult. It was awesome. We walked around to the “solo stage” which really was a stage with one lonesome microphone and two speakers towering each side. When we walked up there was a young girl with a very monotone speaking and singing voice strumming an acoustic guitar and singing a song that I could barely understand the words to. She mumbled most of the words and then abruptly ended the guitar and stood and just spoke words (not really sure if it was spoken word or not, it was kind of creepy if you asked me).
Anyways, after the young woman stepped down from the stage another stepped up. She was a beautiful kind of earthy looking woman wearing greens, yellows and browns with big hair. Her personality was really upbeat and spunky as she introduced the next couple of performers.
Farah Lawal is my friend/sister/soror. I love her. She is an amazing actress, 
poet and just all around performer. She is an awesome inspiration to me and I’m sure many other people that have seen her performances. When she steps onto the stage, I feel like she becomes a totally different person. A very laid back more reserved personality becomes a fierce voice of a poet seeking to change the world one poem at a time. She performed three peices one of which was called “My Wedding Day” where she talks about anticipating this blissful day.
Farah is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park and currently works full time and is pursuing her career as an actress full time as well. She is also a member of the Saartjie Project which is a group of performers who are inspired by the life of Saartjie (Sara) Baartman.
Farah, as a performer has inspired me to not only be a better writer, but a
better person THROUGH my writing. I enjoyed supporting her this weekend and I look forward to supporting her at her upcoming performance “So Do You Love Me Yet?” If you’re interested, check out her website and to purchase tickets visit the Capital Fringe Festival website.
I just need to vent for a second. Don’t worry, I won’t disclose any names or link to embarrassing youtube videos. 
I. Hate. Whack. Spoken. Word. Artists. Emphases on every single word as written. I think there should be a point in time where a poet should really reevaluate their delivery. Spoken Word Artists and a Poet are two different things. I don’t think people understand that. Spoken word gives rhytmn to poetry. It is an art form that has technique and style; a style that perhaps everyone doesn’t possess.
I get tired of going to spots and hearing a poet get up on stage and sound like the Charlie Brown teacher.
…and just in case you don’t remember what that sounds like:
I think the problem is, we encourage everybody. We tell everyone that their poetry is hot and that they NEED to perform. Only about 40% of my poetry is actually stage-worthy. All poetry is not meant to be put on stage at five seasons. It just isn’t and I wish that people would stop lying to these poets and tell them the truth.
If I suck, tell me…PLEASE!
Dr. Spaulding, my MCOM407 professor, sent me an email with this link simply in it. The subject read: Journalism and Poetry. She had me hooked. I clicked the link and it went to Mindy McAdams “Teaching Online Journalism” blog. She had featured this photostory that a man named Kwame Dawes created.
McAdams talks about the uniqueness of this project because of the poetry that Dawes uses instead of the typical monotone nararator voice of most multimedia journalism porjects. The project talks about HIV in Jamaica. Writer and poet, Kwame Dawes travels to Jamaica to explore how HIV has effected the lives of natives.
He has a series of poems, slideshows, documentaries and essays compiled on one website. These poems are amazing. Hearing them in his voice with the power of the photographs adds to the awesome-ness of this project. Click on the picture to go to the website.
One of my favorite videos. Shihan is an awesome poet and has been featured on several Def Poetry Jam episodes. Enjoy! Let me know what you guys think.
iWrite
So, after a conversation with one of my avid readers (who shall remain nameless…ahem…thanks Janae!) I got more information about the group in my previous post. Their name is actually Mindstate. After a little research, I found out that one of the founders of Mindstate is actually a Towson Alumna; J Pope is her name. The artists in the video are J Pope, Black Root, Wordslave, and LOVE the Poet. According to their website, Black Root shared his vision for Mindstate Mixtape with J Pope mid-year 2008.
“It [is] a terrific way to promote and support the Baltimore, DC and the Greater Metropolitian area (the DMV) and reach a broader audience of people displaying their talents bestowed upon them.”
The actual mixtape is called Mindstate Mix Vol. 1 and is available on their website. I’ll have another video up real soon from them. Their an awesome group that mixes hip-hop, R&B, poetry and just pure hotness! Be on the look out for another video!
iWrite
The Yabba Pot is apparently the place to be on Saturday nights. E the Poet Emcee hosts The Art of Conversation every Saturday night at The Yabbo Pot, a small international vegan restaurant in downtown Baltimore. The Art of Conversation mixes the poet element with a typical conversation and creates an environment where thoughts are provoked and conversation is encouraged.
Recently, Janae visited (due to my busy schedule, I couldn’t accompany her) The Yabba Pot for The Art of Conversation. It seemed really chill. She saw a few artists there. One being a group called Mind State 51. I tried googling them and I couldn’t find anything–not even a MySpace page. If anyone finds anything on them, link me!
Until then, enjoy!
There are so many people that would consider themselves “The Facebook Poet” (in fact, I used to be one of them) but out of my friends list, there has been only one person that stood out. A 26-year-old poet from Jamaica, NY, Matthew Bacchus is a writer and an avid believer of the word of God. I haven’t had the pleasure of interviewing him as he is a busy man, but I was granted permission to feature some of his poetry on my blog in a passing wall post. Bacchus currently has 398 notes on Facebook, most of which are his own poetry. He writes a new peice almost everyday (according to my Facebook newsfeed). I’m not sure if he performs but he’s a pretty good poet. I would love to hear some of his work live.
Finish the Race
by Matthew Bacchus
Tired
Weary
Tired of the Journey
Tired of running this race
Feeling like I will never make it
Feeling like its too late
Feeling like this is a waste
How about if I just give up now
Turn back around
Go back to doing things as usual
Staying in my comfortable shoes
I must have been a fool
To try to run this race
This race is not for me
The process is too long
I am not strong for this
I am too weak
I am going back
I turn around to head back
The voice of God say the race is not given to the swift
It is not given to the strong
That why you feel this journey is too long
It is given to the one that endures
Your trying to run the race on your own strength
You wont make it to the end
God is the source of your strength
He is the strength of your life
Are you determine to hold on to the end
Continue running your race
Tie up your lace
You dont have time to waste
Finish what you started
God is going to finish just what he started
Even if the water has to be parted
Dont be broken hearted
God is going to finish what he started in you
He will complete his work
You continue the work
Finish the race
You will realize that your running was not a waste
As I sifted through a plethora of videos in my video folder I found a video of me performing one of my favorite poems about three weeks ago at this event at Morgan State University called Paradise Lounge. It was a cool event; some poetry, some dance, some live music. I enjoyed myself. Here’s the poem in it’s entirety.
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