May 3–10, 2001

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Reader

Staying True to the Art

(Re: Arts, "The Beat Goes On," Walidah Imarisha, April 26)

The members of In The Company of Poets would like to thank Walidah Imarisha for her article on the state of poetry within Philadelphia’s African-American community. The article openly, albeit briefly, scraped the surface of what might be considered a "politically incorrect" issue to discuss, as described by Michelle Myers, the limited opportunities for diversity within the grassroots Philadelphia poetry reading scene.

Black Ice stated, "Don’t sacrifice the art, make sure the art stays pure." We can only do that if we fully embrace the art, which means embracing language arts — both vernacular and literary — for the purpose of sending a message, effecting change, entertaining and yes, even getting paid.

All of us would like to feel free to express our individual creativity with the use of the language in an environment that is welcoming. Although theme-oriented venues may be necessary to feel "safe" to express our cultural and ethnic identities, segregating ourselves based on race does not allow us to perpetuate the elevation of this multi-dimensional art form.

While Mike O’Hara makes an important observation and personal decision regarding his participation in "all-black" themed venues, surely even those lines are not always so clearly drawn. Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods and yes, it is in fact largely segregated. However, for example, the Vibes and Verse venue, which takes place at Club Enterprise in North Philadelphia, sends neither an implicit nor explicit message that the theme is "all-black." Rather, not only is the location convenient for the conveners who are from that "hood," but also their stated theme, "Poetry for the People" is about allowing the community (cause black people aren’t the only ones who live in North Philadelphia) to feel that they may share their poetry with the people, whether black, white, young, old, seasoned, academically degreed or otherwise.

In other words, location, location, location may serve as the deciding factor as to whether or not one chooses to participate. The segregation may be self-imposed rather than stated.

This past February, In The Company of Poets, our African-American female ensemble, was invited by Eileen D’Angelo to be the featured poets in celebration of Black History Month for the Mad Poets Society’s first monthly venue of the year in Media. Being an African-American ensemble, we were Black History, being the only people of color, with the exception of author and poet Alice Wootson, in attendance.

That experience led to our being invited by a Lebanon Valley College student to a two-day performance at the college in Lancaster, a community with a very limited diverse population. Not only did the audience appreciate our performance, we had been given a contract! (Yes, we gladly accepted the payment, although altruism is also very important to us — another subject for another time.)

And just this past weekend, white poet Marj Hahn was one of the featured poets, along with Tonya Marie and In The Company of Poets, invited by Stephanie Renee to perform at The Point of Destination Café in Germantown. Marj, her sister and her niece were the only non-black people in attendance. That didn’t stop us from learning and appreciating something new about the use of language, and it certainly allowed the venue guests to hear something "different." Everybody loved her!

Although certainly segregation exists on the poetry scene as with any other artistic endeavors, we encourage all poets to step out on faith and participate in the venues of your choosing. Hopefully we all want to do the same thing, and that is to stay true to the art.

Pat McLean, Nish Pugh, Debbi Powell, Cora Williams and Oni Lasana
In The Company Of Poets

Since we were not listed in the "poetry groove" article, a few words about Poets & Prophets. P & P is the oldest continuing poetry series in the city, having started in 1983 at the late, great Bacchanal. Currently, we present series at two Borders, the Philadelphia Ethical Society, Swarthmore, etc.

Our next two city readings will be Tuesday, May 8, at Borders Center City at 7:30 p.m. featuring Kimmika L.H. Williams and Thursday, May 17, at 7 p.m. at the Philadelphia Ethical Society with the Poets of the New Jerusalem group.

In Delco, we will be presenting a reading this Saturday at Swarthmore Borough Hall at 7 p.m. with Rosalie Grant and Thursday, May 10, at Borders Springfield with Peggy Carrigan.

We can be reached at 610-328-POET or bobthepoet@yahoo.com.

Bob Small
President

Gross!

Thursday lunch is my favorite time of the work week. Grab a copy of the City Paper, turn to the live music section and see who’s up for the weekend. The paper usually makes for a good lunch companion, except for this week’s placement of the advertising. Seeing a naked man bent over with a feather duster up his ass just didn’t complement my roast duck and steamed greens over rice very well. Save that crap for the personals.

Bigsby
Philadelphia

Animal Nature

(Re: Loose Canon, "Animal Wrongs," Bruce Schimmel, April 19)

I agree with Bruce Schimmel that we "animal lovers" should be just as kind to other human beings as we are to other animals. However, instead of placing humans "first" in terms of the issues described in his column (i.e., deer in Fairmount Park and pigeons and rats in cities), shouldn’t humans accept the responsibility for creating these "problems" in the first place? Shrinking and fragmented habitat along with enticing food sources are bound to create conflicts between humans and other animals. Humans have created these situations, and it is wrong to suggest that rats, deer, pigeons and others suffer the consequences.

Crystal Miller
Wyndmoor