Sam Cook - “God in Code: The Poet Tupac Shakur” (Button Poetry First Readings)
“In this country, the poet Christ is primarily worshipped by those who wish him white… who call his murder a miracle and then oppress in his name.”
A first reading from the Saint Paul Soap Boxing Grand Slam.
Love the first draft of this piece. So so good. My touring partner much smarter than the rest of us. :P Thank god for this man in my life.
Elliot Darrow - “God is Gay” (CUPSI 2013 Finals)
“Keep in mind, Jesus had two dads and turned out just fine.”
Performing for UNC Chapel Hill during the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational.
Glad to have been here to see this piece! I am all about this poem, dude goes hard and you can hear just how much we loved it in the audience!!
Dylan Garity - “Friend Zone”
“The problem is, when I started thinking of myself as a savior, I ended up thinking of myself as a savior with a salary.”
A first reading, from the Saint Paul Soap Boxing Grand Slam on May 6!
Just wait for it…. Really proud of Dylan for this piece! As men in a patriarchy we play a huge role in dismantling rape culture. Pumped to see men stepping up in their art like this!
HIEU NGUYEN - “It Was The Winter…”
“Nostalgia forgets to visit this street. It is too busy with tree houses and rope swings; it doesn’t have time for all this grey.”
Button Poetry’s own HIEU NGUYEN is a finalist in the 2013 Write Bloody Publishing Contest. Reblog (and like this video on youtube) to help Hieu win a publishing deal!
This is my brother and one of the most talented poets I know. Check this video out, I love this poem!!
Tonya Ingram - “Unsolicited Advice (after Jeanann Verlee)” (CUPSI 2013)
“When your mother asks you why you take so long in the shower, tell her that you hate this cancer, this dark that wears you like a plague.”
Tonya Ingram, performing for NYU on finals at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. NYU went on to win the tournament for the second year in a row.
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It has been a blessing to watch Tonya these past few years, she is a hugely powerful writer and performer and this piece was one of my favorites from the tournament (CUPSI 2013).
Rachel Rostad - “To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang”
“Let me cry over boys more than I speak. Let me fulfill your diversity quota. Just one more brown girl mourning her white hero.”
To check out some of the dialogue surrounding the piece, visit http://rachelrostad.tumblr.com
For the full text of the poem, go to https://www.facebook.com/rachelrostad
Rachel straight going in, I can’t believe how many notes this video has! Rachel! Minnesota! Button Poetry! BANGARANG!
(Source: penguinsledding)
Safia Elhillo & Jamaica Osorio - “What I Learned in the Fire”
“Love is just something to do until the war starts.”
Our first video from FInal Stage at CUPSI 2013. This poem from the championship team - NYU - transcends the traditional boundaries of what can be done in slam, in group poetry and on stage. Our hats are off to Safia and Jamaica.
My favorite poem from CUPSI. So incredible and mesmerizing. BEHOLD!
Sean “Mega” DesVignes- “This Is How I Challenge Diabetes to a Fight” (CUPSI 2013)
“My aunt’s kidneys are two deadbeat fathers married to the same woman.”
Sean “Mega” DesVignes, named Best Rookie at the 2013 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational, performing in semifinals.
Mega just killing it. This dude has impressed me each time I have had the opportunity to see him hit a stage!
New Insults by Kait Rokowski - [x]
love this lady
Oh shit, my lil sis got turned into a gif! Hahaha. Love it!
Chace ‘Mic Write’ Morris - “Landmine”
“See us black men - are born into mine fields”
From his feature set at Soap Boxing in Saint Paul, January 2013.
My family is TOO REAL! My brother Mic Write killing it, just a tremendously well written and performed poem. MIDWEST ALL DAY.
Chace ‘Mic Write’ Morris
“Every time I see my Grandmothers house - foreclosure sign on the front lawn like an American Flag impaling soil it does not own.”
Chace performing a feature at the Soap Boxing poetry slam in Saint Paul, MN.
So. Damn. Good!!
Kait Rokowski and Khary Jackson (6is9) - “Unsent Letters Between Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson”
“The thing about the movies is when you watch them, you own the people onscreen.”
An extremely rare group piece from the Soap Boxing Slam, in this case between two multiple-time indie finalists. Well worth watching.
Haha!! God damn, my family is too good. Kait and Khary just demolish this piece. First group piece St. Paul ever sent to NPS. Killin it.
Dylan Garity - “Giants”
“Size always seems to matter most when we are falling. An ant dropped from an airplane will survive with no injuries; if an elephant slips three feet its legs will snap beneath it.”
Dylan Garity, performing at the January Soap Boxing Slam in Saint Paul, MN.
My fam Dylan Garity killin it and, he would be happy to hear me say, doing so with a particularly good hair day!!
Chace ‘Mic Write’ Morris - “Fuck John Mayer”
“God is a DJ; our skin is made of vinyl; our tongues are needles waiting to drop and taste something timeless.”
Another video from Soap Boxing in Saint Paul. Chace was the feature for the January Poetry Slam. He hails from Detroit, and he makes ridiculously dope things out of words.
Check out my brother Mic Write going in as the January feature at Soap Boxing!! More of his videos to come! #MIDWEST! #Detroit #LETSGO
New video from Joshua Bennett ( @sirjoshbennett ) - “Hip Hop”
Wait for it. Really, just wait for it.
Joshua Bennett being hyper talented and smart as always!
