Are you planning to attend Hewitt’s youth conference, TEDxYouth@Hewitt on Saturday, November 20? Activists, artists, educators, lawyers and journalists will be on hand to discuss their dedication to “being the change” they wish to see in the world. Among them will be poets from Urban Word NYC.
In an e-mail interview, poet and Urban Word NYC founder Michael Cirelli, made me wish I could have asked the National Poetry Slam finalist something much more clever and thought-provoking, a question filled with just as much human observation and wit as his poetry reflects. His work beats to his unique sense of observation and wit, a sensibility imbued with the breath of the poetically charged youth he inspires at Urban Word NYC – a spoken word poetry organization dedicated to providing New York City’s youth with opportunities for voicing their opinions on various social and global issues through the medium of creative writing.
I remember smiling to myself as I read his responses. The simple yet meaningful nature of the e-mail he sent made my heart leap; I was moved at how an adult could have so much faith in the voice of today’s youth – indeed Mr. Cirelli “think[s] it is important for teens to express themselves and their views because we live in a culture that doesn’t always value their voices. To create a platform for teens to speak puts them in a space where we can validate their unique points of view, and give them credit for all that they already know, and what they want to learn.”
Essentially, this well-written and concise statement summarizes the ultimate mission of Urban Word NYC: to empower teens in their varying knowledge of the world around them, providing them with the tools to effectively express these views and expand on these ideas to a widespread audience. Despite Mr. Cirelli’s choice of New York City as the main setting for Urban Word NYC, due to the city’s role as “an important place as a hub for arts and culture,” the organization also believes that “all teens should have the opportunity to speak, no matter where they live.” Mr. Cirelli himself has acted on this belief; in addition to managing Urban Word, he is also the director of the Annual Spoken Word & Hip-Hop Teacher & Community Leader Training Institute at the University of Wisconsin.
Hip-hop music has been a driving force in Mr. Cirelli’s poetry, and he tries to incorporate his love of hip-hop in Urban Word NYC to encourage teens and speak to them in a language they understand best: “Hip-hop music is rich with poetics and craft, just as much so as any form of literature… It is the voice, in many ways, of our young generation, so it is important to me, because young people are.” However, it was his final response to my last question about his reasons for liking poetry, and his words of encouragement to others, that made me absolutely beam with delight – Mr. Cirelli eloquently described poetry as “time capsules. If you want to know about me and what I’m feeling, just read my most recent poem. Poems also have the power to transform, to heal, to inspire, and to honor. All are reasons to love these little rocketships!” Certainly, Mr. Cirelli, you have given me another reason to love poetry and your rocketship of cuteness!
I was also delighted to have a telephone interview with Mokgethi Thinane, a Youth Board Member and Youth Mentor for Urban Word NYC who will perform his poetry at TedxYouth@Hewitt. Mr. Thinane, also known by his stage name “Mega,” is inspired by poets such as award-winning Nuyorican Cafe poet Willie Perdomo and the seventeenth United States Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin.
Mega writes about the different aspects of the world around him; some of these topics include black-on-black violence and gang activity in New York City, such as the conflicts between the Bloods and the Crips. Mega believes that poetry “is effective to the point where it is advocacy.” He described how a poet could perform at a sold-out venue such as the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem and spread his or her message to a wide range of people; oftentimes audience members will come up to the poet and talk to him, a demonstration of the profound influence a poem can have on a person.
Encouraged by his views on the effectiveness of poetry, I was also curious about his opinion on writing style: must one have “a way with words” to write an effective poem? Mega assured downcast potential teen poets everywhere that poetry is “a practice and skill” and that writing poetry is “always a process.” Although the practical Mega stated that “you never have made the perfect poem,” his suggestion is to attend Urban Word NYC workshops, most of which are free of charge, with various locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. These workshops serve to improve one’s style and discover different ways to write about and present the topics a person is interested in expressing.
After speaking with Mega, I also had the opportunity to speak to Mikal Amin Lee, the Program Director of Urban Word NYC who will also be present at TedxYouth@Hewitt. Mr. Lee expanded on Mr. Cirelli’s response about creating a platform for youth to voice their opinions. Mr. Lee stated that Urban Word NYC has a strong belief in spreading social justice issues, and providing teens with the workshops and support needed to better articulate their views in the form of verse and creative writing. Mr. Lee believes that Urban Word NYC gives teens the opportunity to “develop and express their voice” and to “speak their stories.” He is also a poet himself, interested in writing about “the history of our people overall in this country” and many topics of “similar veins” to Mega. Mr. Lee has recently recorded a solo hiphop album called The People’s Verses.
I was very grateful to have chatted with Michael Cirelli, Mokgethi “Mega” Thinane, and Mikal Amin Lee because, although I have always been a huge fan of poetry and understood its power to appeal to people emotionally, I never fully considered poetry’s impact in spreading social awareness about a number of different issues, especially in such a dynamic and diverse urban environment as New York City. Both Mega and Mr. Lee are excited to attend TedxYouth@Hewitt on November 20th, 2010; Lauren “Lo” Anderson, another poet involved in Urban Word NYC whom I will also interview at the TedxYouth@Hewitt event itself will also perform along with Mega. I wish Mega and Lo the best of luck, and I hope that their poetry leaves the audience with a greater appreciation of the influence of poetry, and may even summon the inner spirit of poetry in some of the audience members!