Verbal Blend by Noelia de la Cruz 8/2011

Dim lights illuminate the 307 descending seats that converge to the center of the auditorium. Christiona Hawkins walks up to read her poem. The light shines brightest on her smooth coffee-colored complexion. But her eyes, instead of looking at the audience, focus for a moment on the Webcam resting on the orange plastic-covered podium set in front of her. Can yall hear me? she yells. A few seconds later, an emphatic Yes emanates from the speakers, the voices of a group 1,000 miles away filling the room, their own stage at the University of Minnesota projected onto the large screen that hangs behind her. She begins to read, A Warrior Out of Us, from her phone. Her kind voice becomes stern and urgent, unwavering as she unravels a combination of metaphors expressing her observations of the African American experience. The frustration overflows from her voice as she alludes to the false illusions of progress that plague the black community. Dont be fooled, she says. Ill let you think youre flying high, but just like kites, I have strings attached to you. Snap, snap, snap. The audience appreciates her clever prose. We will really see what a disaster our people have become. An eruption of applause and snaps follow the last line. While Hawkins walks back to her seat, the host in Minneapolis says, Someone in the audience has a special note for the young lady who was just on stage. Uh-oh, uh-oh! shouts the audience. But the message doesnt come with the expected flirtationjust admiration. You are an amazing poet, the person on the other side says.

Hawkins, a sophomore international relations and policy studies major, belongs to Verbal Blend, a spoken word program at SU. Verbal Blend was one of the only things that kept me at this university, says Hawkins, who encountered Cedric Bolton and the program during an accepted students weekend for minority students. Bolton, coordinator for student engagement in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) at SU, started the program in 2007. He modeled it after Voices Merging, a program he started when he lived in Minneapolis, to build students confidence in writing and performing poetry. His past and present intertwined on Nov. 17, when both groups collaborated for Verbal Blends last event of the year, Ayo Technology. Skype connected the two together. To make the most of the technological facet, Bolton challenged poets to read from mobile devices and laptops. Before Bolton closed the show with a poem from his second album, Bumpy Tymes, he expressed appreciation to his students for their efforts to give poetry a voice in both communities. Much love to Voices Merging, Verbal Blend, and the poets learning community, you guys got me very emotional tonight, he says. Bolton receives $3,000 annually from OMA and uses it, in addition to whatever little else he can gather in the form of grants, to sustain the program. Throughout the year, he organizes open mics, poetry slam competitions, and events featuring such esteemed poets as Shihan Van Clief and Willie Perdomo, whove appeared on HBOs former Def Poetry Jam. The Verbal Blend learning community in Boland Hall launched this semester and became the first poetry learning community on campus. But the most important component of the program occurs twice a week for six weeks each semester; many of Verbal Blend poets conceive their poems during three-

hour workshops where students gather to write, recite, and critique. The second Tuesday in November, Bolton entered the room for the last time of the semester. His body, large, like his voice, loud, deep and booming, commands attention. As the nine Verbal Blend students who wait to participate in the workshop chat with one another, they turn to include Bolton in conversation. Bolton is the mentor, the father, and the friend. He usually brings newspapers, images, and poetry to spark the students minds with interesting topics to write about. However, today, he brought his own topic: Whats your issue? One by one, as if on cue, the students walk up to the white board and jot down phrases: not enough time in class, not enough money in the bank, finding my balance, I need me time! Alecia Gordon, an undecided sophomore in the school of Arts and Sciences, is one of the first to share her poem, a letter addressed to God filled with anguish caused by self-disappointment. By the end, tears stream down her face. She lets out a small laugh, embarrassed by her moment of weakness and vulnerability. As Gordon walks back to her seat, Hawkins, her roommate, turns to give her a hug. The poet to Gordons right, Janel Sullivan turns and says under her breath, Id want to hear it again, if you can type it up and send it to me. That was really beautiful. Gordon still cant shake the embarrassment. Im so sorry, that wasnt supposed to happen, Gordon says. I hate when that happens! Can I say this one more time? Bolton says in a firm voice. Stop apologizing for what you do. It was meant to be. Gordon cried the first time she attended a Verbal Blend meeting, too. The power of the other poets words affected her in such a way she decided to keep coming back.

The group of poets is like a family of brothers and sisters, she says. Bolton credits poetry with having a therapeutic quality that many students on campus may need. If they need to cry, they can cry and get it out through that poem. [The poem] will help to heal them, Bolton says. Verbal Blend tries to provide the same outlet to Syracuse city public school students. Within the past year, Bolton and Verbal Blend members have traveled to local schools to conduct similar workshops and provide a forum for young adolescents to express themselves. Bolton collaborates with Marcelle Haddix, an assistant professor in the School of Education with a Ph.D. in literacy, language, and learning. Haddix moved to Syracuse three years ago and immediately decided to commit her time to community work. One of the things I noticed right away was that there was a need for writing, she says. Parents and community members were really concerned with writing achievement, particularly of African American youth. In response, Haddix created the Writing Our Lives project, an annual writers conference open to middle school and high school students. This year, students and Verbal Blend poets rose early one sunny Saturday morning in November to go to Hughes Elementary School, a magnet school in the Syracuse city school district. The second annual Writing Our Lives conference attracted more than 120 students in the sixth to 12th grades. Workshops offered writing lessons in topics that ranged from journalism to comics and fiction writing. Older students registered for Writing the College Essay. Bolton led Discovering your Voice, with four Verbal Blend poets, including Hawkins. I always had a passion for the public education system because I grew up in it, so I know that everything isnt always as

it should be, she says. Bolton prepared large sheets of white paper on the stage. Brainstorming time. What are the things you want to give voice to in your communities? he asks the shy students who sit around the red octagonal tables of the cafetorium. He waits. He sighs. Its going to be a long morning, Bolton says, when the students hesitate to answer. Michelle Tarshus, sophomore information studies major, and resident advisor of the poets learning community pitches in. I give voice to bullying! The students begin to raise their hands. Vandalism, gangs, racism, violence, teenage pregnancy, hip hop, hatred, drugs, single parent homes, sports, love, multiculturalism. They can write about anything, even the kind of men and women they want to be in ten years. Professor, Grammy winner, architect, business owner, forensic scientist, surgeon, lawyer, mother, father, responsible, independent, strong, happy. Hawkins wants to extend her reach to more than just one day. She approached Bolton with her own idea; he connected her to Haddix. The two now work to develop a literary magazine for high school students by high school students and Verbal Blend poets. Eventually, the magazine will extend to serve as a mentoring program, so Verbal Blend poets can interact with students in the community on a more frequent basis. More minority students need to consider college as an option, even if its not at SU. We feel that publishing them in a college publication with other college writers and artists will boost confidence in themselves and get them thinking about college in a positive aspect, Hawkins says. Bolton remains optimistic about the network hes built and the potential of his students. Poets can be leaders too, leading programs and ideas that can inspire other

people whether on campus, in the community or around the world, he says. Its making me proud to see that these students are making connections that they probably would not have made if this program had not existed. Next semester he wants to challenge them further by creating a poets board, or p-board, the Verbal Blend version of an executive board. The poets need to take ownership of the group, he says. Part of the reason involves funding. I need at least $25,000 a year to do the type of programming Im envisioning doing, he says. A p-board could possibly register as a recognized student organization with SUs Student Association and receive additional funding, without jeopardizing Verbal Blend, the program, which runs separately through OMA. Bolton still has many lessons he wants to impart on his studentsmost important, that theyll have to start taking responsibility of the organization by planning more events, spreading the word, and conducting workshops. Boltons stage name is Blackman Preachhes a spiritual man, a believer in God. Everything happens for a reason, he says, and he doesnt know if hell be here tomorrow. This aint promised, he says about himself. But Verbal Blend can leave a lasting legacy.