Seven Columbus poets offer ‘front row seat on the future’ with live show this weekend
Seven area writers hope their words will not only challenge and educate, but lead to frank conversations and personal reflections during the turbulent times of social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jonathan S.E. Perkins, executive director of Fountain City Slam, said this year’s ”Stretching the Truth” show features writing reflective of today while offering hope for the future.
“Each summer I’ve had the privilege of taking a group of awesome area teens to the Brave New Voices Festival,” Perkins said. “A number of things were postponed due to the pandemic, but our need for creative expression and creative outlets was not canceled. The Fountain City Slam was able to step in and we were able to continue to do this show.”
The two performances are scheduled for July 10 and 11 at the National Civil War Naval Museum, 1002 Victory Drive. Shows are at 6:30 p.m. each day, and are outside. They’re free, but Perkins said donations are appreciated. Seating is limited and people are encouraged to bring their own chairs and blankets. In the event of inclement weather the shows will be moved inside.
Perkins says “Stretching the Truth” is a choreopoem, a form of dramatic expression combining poetry, dance, music and song. The performances feature several vignettes penned by the seven participants.
“It’s a collaboration of many different poems.” said participant X’xayvier Davidson. “Some of them on the topic of police brutality, some on the topic of Black Lives Matter, others on the topics of mental health and gender equality, and there’s one that’s just spontaneous.”
Davidson said words, and the spoken word, resonate with people in a way that images sometimes cannot.
“You can close your eyes to a painting and not see it, but with words, with sounds, even if you close your ears you’re still going to feel those vibrations. It’s inevitable. You have to come in contact with it somehow, someway,” Davidson said.
“Stretching the Truth” also features Quinn Beeson, Trinity Grimes, Nick Myers, Cynthia Short, Jay Quinones and Macy Cardwell.
“We write all of the poetry that we perform and then we get to have a hand in choreographing it and so it’s just a really great way to feel like you have a voice,“ said Macy Cardwell.
Cardwell said it’s her third year with the team. The coronavirus pandemic forced the group to begin the process on Zoom, limit the number of in-person rehearsals and incorporate social distancing into the choreography.
She hopes people leave the show feeling a little more inspired and have a better understanding of young people and their challenges.
“Maybe we make people a little uncomfortable because they need to be, but that in the end they feel like they’re a better person than when they came in,” Cardwell said.
“I definitely hope everybody comes and has an open mind and are able to enjoy but also educate themselves in spaces that they may not have been educated before and take away something to go educate others,” said Michaela “CeeCee” Brown, the production’s stage manager.
Perkins encourages people to consider how their voice can add to the many civic conversations now taking place.
“Your voice is something you walk around with every day and it doesn’t have to be the actual voice that comes out of your throat,” Perkins said. “It could be through a pen, it could be through a text message, but definitely use your words, use them to lift up, use them to heal.”
Safety recommendations
The CDC recommends that anyone attending a large gathering during the coronavirus pandemic should wear a face covering and stay six-feet apart from others as much as possible. They also recommend frequent hand washing or the use of hand sanitizer when washing isn’t available.
For more guidelines, check out the CDC’s website.
