Spit Poetry #3 (Joe, Malavika, Edi, Danabelle)

Rasha Alduwaisan is an oral historian and writer from Kuwait. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Willow Springs, Michigan Quarterly Review, The Common and Painted Bride Quarterly. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University.

In this episode we discuss how a poem is the story of an emotion, why we close ourselves up and the endless search for identity.

Rasha’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rasha_alduwaisan/

Rasha’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rasha.alduwaisan

Happy Poetry Listening!

نتعرّف على سمر وتشاركنا تجربتها الشعرية التي لا تخلو من القصص والتفرعات. تحدّثنا عن حالة الخلق، التي هي بحد ذاتها حالة من التأمل الواعي والتركيز على التفاصيل، وعن الشفاء من الصدمات عن طريق الكتابة والتعبير. نتساءل عن حال الشاعر الذي تدفعه الظروف إلى العمل في مكتب بارد لا يليق بشغفه، فينعكس ذلك على شعره الذي يكتبه خلسة ما بين اجتمعات العمل، أو في الليل، كما فعل بوكوفسكي بعد العودة من مكتب البريد

:عن سمر عبد الجابر
فلسطينية مواليد عام 1985. حائزة على بكالوريوس في هندسة الكومبيوتر من جامعة بيروت العربيّة، 2008.
صدرت مجموعتها الأولى "وفي رواية أخرى" عن دار ملامح للنشر بالتعاون مع دار "إكس أو" عام 2009، ومجموعتها الثانية "ماذا لو كنا أشباحا" عن "دار الأهلية" عام 2013، والتي حازت على الجائزة الأولى للكاتب الشاب من مؤسسة عبد المحسن القطان، وصدرت مجموعتها  الثالثة بعنوان "كوكبٌ منسيّ" عن "دار الأهلية" عام 2015،  بدعم من "صلات: روابط من خلال الفنون". كما أصدرت مجموعة شعرية مشتركة مع الشاعرة الأميركية نيكول كاليهان، بعنوان"بين قارتين" عام 2018.
شاركت في "مهرجان شاعرات عربيات في دمشق" عام 2008، كما شاركت في "مهرجان الأدب العالمي في كوبنهاجن" الدولي للشعر عام 2012، ومهرجان "خان الفنون" في عمّان 2016

لديها مدوّنة إلكترونية بعنوان

www.summer-blues.blogspot.com

صفحتها على موقع جود ريدز
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5787139.Samar_Abdel_Jaber

Dorian Paul Rogers is a performance poet, Hip Hop artist, educator, and events curator. He is the founder of Rooftop Rhythms, a monthly open mic which has gone on to become one of the biggest events of its kind in the UAE and surrounding region.

In this episode, we question the role of the mediator in relation to that of the artist. We talk about Dorian’s most recent poetry collection and adult coloring book, The Million Mile Stare, which gives voice to the childhood trauma he experienced growing up as a bi-racial child in the United States.

As long time friends who have worked together many times before, Dorian and I (Farah Chamma) share personal experiences and reflect on how our poetry has changed and evolved over the years. We explore the many questions of vulnerability, self-doubt, and pain as well as how creativity and self-expression contribute to the process of healing.

Dorian also tells us about THER.I.P.Y., the the Hip Hop group he co-founded along with his late rap partner, Kendall “Ken Jo” Johnson, may his soul rest in peace. His most recent solo EP, Burn B4 Listening, is a way to carry on his dear friend’s legacy.

Referral Links:

The Million Mile Stare Poetry Collection and Adult Coloring Book
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TZ3HYRS?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Rooftop Rhythms Instagram: @rooftop_rhythms

Dorian's Personal Instagram: @pauldtheripy

Burn B4 Listening EP
https://music.apple.com/ae/album/burn-b4-listening-ep/1533550214

180 Degrees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLRP9iPVOrI

Happy Poetry Listening!

Nidal Morra is a multidisciplinary writer and artist. In this episode, we will be exploring this multidisciplinarity, from making salt crystals, acting, and film directing to screenwriting and writing “something that might be poetry.”

Is poetry a result of paying attention to the tiny details of our day to day? According to Nidal, it is “unbounded expression with conscious choice.” How is writing poetry a different process from screenwriting? And is self-discipline necessary in making any writer? Let’s find out.

Happy Poetry Listening!

Spit Poetry #7

الشاعرة و الكاتبة فرح شمّا

فنحن نؤمن بأثر الفراشة
مسرح في غزة
ربما لذلك
ريتا
بلد

Happy Poetry Listening!

Wael Al-Sayegh is an Emirati Poet and Martial Arts instructor born in Edinburgh, Scotland.

He is the author of three poetry collections: “A Poet’s Oud” (2006), “I Often Wonder” (2007), and “There is an Elephant in the Majlis” (2011).

In this conversation, we discover Wael’s relationship to writing and to martial arts and how these two art forms came together in his life. We also talk about our mutual fears of writing in Arabic and in the Arab world, the refusal to be enslaved by jobs we hate, and about Al Areen Martial Arts, Wael’s Dubai-based martial arts academy.

Wael’s Instagram: @wael.alsayegh

Al Areen Martial Arts’ Website: https://alareenclub.com

Here is one of my favorite lines from a poem which Wael reads to us during the episode:

“I’d rather ride a donkey to work than a fancy car that makes me a mule to the bank.”

Happy Poetry Listening!

Spit Poetry #6

“Falafel Löffel” - Harry Baker
“A Schoolgirl’s Crush at Thirty-Four” & “Smoke Song” - Danabelle Gutierrez
“Where Are You Really From?” & “Beautiful” (a freestyle poem) - Carlos Andrés Gómez

Happy Poetry Listening!

Carlos Andrés Gómez is a Colombian-American poet, speaker, actor and author of a wonderful poetry book titled “Hijito” & “Man Up: Reimagining Modern Manhood”.

Carlos spills out the beans of his life as a poetry performer in New York, he talks about his relationship with his mother tongue, his early inspiration to poetry as well as a unique learning experience at the Apollo!

Special thanks to Emirates Airline Festival of Literature for inviting The Poetryhood to be a part of the outstanding festival that they’ve setup in 2020 and for facilitating this podcast recording with Carlos.

Video footage of this conversation is on The Poetryhood YouTube channel so make sure to check it out.

Happy Poetry Listening!

Spit Poetry #5

All the following pieces are performed by Hakeem Kemet

Soul
Type Love
Coffin Sizes

Happy Poetry Listening!

Farah Chamma is a Palestinian international writer & performer. She started performing at the age of 15 with a group of poets called the Poeticians. She gained a lot of attention on YouTube from two poetry videos performed by her in “كيف أؤمن” (How Must I Believe) and “الجنسيّة” (The Nationality).

Listen to this conversation as we learn how Farah is evolving her poetry into a new focus and listen to her as she uncovers her relationship with the colloquial (محكي) & literary (فصحة) Arabic language.

Filled with many eye-opening points for any poet, writer or performer I truly enjoyed this conversation and I hope you do as well.

Happy Poetry Listening!