WEALTH OF IDEAS

Featured poets V.S. Chochezi and Rob Anthony It was a night of great performances, like how most Monday nights are at Sacramento Poetry Center. I left the place relaxed and ready to write for the rest of the week. Great audience too (don't you just love people so committed to poetry that they come out on a Monday night and see what we have to offer. Thank you, Sacramento. So now, here are the photos: Lawrence Dinkins (NSAA) opened the session with his signature piece about "getting got". I have heard it so many times that now listening to it is like co-creating. Powerful piece...about..."getting got". Rob Anthony: he recites all his poems, brings them to life on the stage. I liked "I-poet", which reminds poets that what they say dosen't have to be liked: they poet. Both poets kept the audience engaged, each poem followed by applause. Rob and V.S. duo performance. V.S. Chochezi, who calls herself a poet of political consciousness, has performe...

Lawrence Dinkins, Indigo Moor, and Emmanuel Sigauke . Poets Terry a O'neal, Lawrence Dinkins, and Indigo Moor delivered a good show at Cosumnes River College today. Here are some event photos: Terry O'Neal gave us a taste of her upcoming publication, and read pieces from her published books as well. Her poetry establishes links with Africa, and dips into Black History in America. lawrence dinkins . As I predicted, the students loved his lively performance of pieces that deal with the ordinary American lives, also hinting at important moments in the history of Black America. Indgo Moor . He read all my favorite pieces in Tap-Root, his award-winning first collection and he gave us taste of his new collection, which is going to be published in April 2010; it won Northwestern University's Second Book Prize. This was a great line up.

February is Black History Month (BHM). There are celebrations in many spheres of (black) life in America, but nowhere are the celebrations highly evident than in colleges and arts organizations. In line with this spirit, I will be involved in two black poetry events next week. On Monday, I join Sacramento poet Lawrence Dinkins, popularly known as NSAA (pronounced "ensa"), at the Sacramento Poetry Center, where we will co-host the BHM reading/performance. One mic, four dynamic poets, and as my friend Terry Moore would say, "some of Sacramento's hottest poets". Names like Anna Marie, Laura Cooks, Sean King and Dawn DiBartolo. If you haven't seen Anna Marrie in action, you better show up on Monday. She performs/recites most of her poetry, and as you are tranformed by the words (transformed on the spot) you see the poet transforming too (seizing not only the stage, but also the entire space inhabited by poet and audience). Dawn DiBartolo has a new publication. ...

NSAA Today we feature a spoken word whose works I find moving. I have attended many of his performances, and we have shared the stage on several occassions. He is also a regular in the Sacramento Poetry scene, particularly at the Sacramento Poetry Center, Luna's Cafe, and the Mahogany poetry series, where he is a host. Please meet the poet known as NSAA. 1. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. First, can you tell us a bit about yourself? My stage name is NSAA pronounced (en-sah-ah). It’s an African adinkra symbol that basically means quality, as I understand it. It’s like saying "The real McCoy". What I like about the word/symbol is that it is based on the quality of cloth, for example; this cloth is hand made nsaa. I’m a bit of an odd duck I’m afraid to say, my stage name is a case in point, how odd I will keep on the low-low, very political too. I love NPR, BBC and Democracy Now. My pet peeve right now, driving me insane, is what’s up with congress not fighting...