Get it off your chest, I'ma make it look sexy (with poetic entertainment at your event)
“Is that a real typewriter?”
”Sure is. May I write you a poem?”
“Wait, how does this work?”
“You tell me what’s on your mind, or your heart, or your nose - whatever, and I will type it up into a poem for you to take home.”
“Wow! Okay, so it can be about anything?”
“Anything. What’s on your mind?”
I love transforming peoples’ unfiltered thoughts into poems. Sometimes they want a haiku about their cat, but more often than not, my typewriter has them tapping into something they’ve never said out loud before. Everyone wants something different, and everyone gets a poem tailor-made for them.
But I feel especially in my purpose when writing for black professionals. Poetry has allowed me to meet people who make me think, “Wow. If only I had met someone like this when I was a kid, maybe the future wouldn’t have felt so hopeless.” These entrepreneurs, event coordinators, doctors, photographers, …people just living their best life (or on their way to doing so) inspire me to always push myself toward being the best in my chosen field.
“I love poetry,” they say with a smile. “I haven’t been to an open mic in a minute. I should really go to one, I miss it!”
In the midst of working in a fragile environment, where every word must be chosen with magnanimous tact, it is of utmost importance that we take time to unmask. Poetic expression is a rejuvenating key in the mosaic of black excellence. Making time to spend an evening at the poetry club isn’t always a realistic option when life is a checkered with deadlines, family obligations, & self-care.
That’s why I love being able to bring a moment of poetry to you, wherever you are. I come to your events, whether a company holiday party, in-office mixer, wedding, or other occasion, and the floodgates open. Thoughts and ideas you haven’t had the time to process pour through the typewriter. Sometimes it gets real, but I relish the challenge of coding your thoughts behind metaphors that are specifically important to your life, your memories, your goals, your imagination. I’ve written thousands of poems for people, and I don’t write the same poem twice. What will your poem be? If you’re gonna get it off your chest, I’ma make it look sexy.
As Ars Poetica’s Director of Talent & Training, it’s my honor to bring poetry to you, whether on stage at The Nuyorican, at our year long poetry residency at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, or at your own event. Get in touch and let’s create poetry together.
