11.30.2010
Fans Comment On The Trailer For Nicki Minaj's Documentary 'My Time Now'
Fans Comment On The Trailer For Nicki Minaj's Documentary 'My Time Now': "Fans get a first look at the documentary, premiering Sunday, November 28, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV."
11.11.2010
So I met this poet from Cabrini Green today...
Did I ever tell you that I have the best "day job" a poet in Chicago could have?!?! Well, it's true, but it wasn't until today in meeting another Chicago poet that I realized how much this is true. I remember my first year of working with Chicago Center (as an apprentice) and I would love to talk about how my job was basically an extension of my education (beginning my experience at Chicago Center first as a student in the program). Maybe it was also a justification for choosing work over grad school at the time, but I really believed it and took full advantage of the education I was receiving, journaling often about my days taking groups of students from small rural liberal arts colleges around the city to meet the "first voices" of Chicago.
I remember a specific entry about how I learned the "truth" about what makes a successful leader from Azim Ramelize, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Children and Youth Services and another about time in Pilsen which led me to think about the the role and responsibility of Spanish-language learners in America, and many more about the role of artists in society. Unfortunately, as I rose up through the ranks of responsibility in the office I lost sight (just a little) of the unique access to raw experiences and fresh perspectives that I (not just our students) was meeting in the city in these last couple of years of "program directing."
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I ever forgot that I was learning or that I haven't been inspired to write by the community resources I have met through Chicago Center or experiences I have had in the city. Anyone who was at Chicago Center's 40th Anniversary Gala and heard me spit "Chicago Games" will tell you just the opposite is true. That moment on stage was an instance of extreme pride for me. I felt I had achieved in sharing my gifts with each other. I was in the presence of a community that was built on Chicago Center's mission, legacy and work and I had a place there as a member of the staff that makes student experiences possible, but I was also a poetic voice. It was an amazing opportunity for me. Yet and still, I don't think I have taken full advantage of all of the unique opportunities that lie in being a poet and Chicago Center Program Director. And maybe it's just that I've been trying to master both independently and haven't yet felt comfortable enough yet to bring them together very often. They are very distinct roles and aspects of my identity and I don't want to be perceived as less than professional in either regard, but I have decided I want to work harder to find places where my gifts and identities meet and feed each other.
The experience that was the final straw for motivating this blog entry happened today when I met a poet named Doreen Ambrose (Thanks to a phenomenal class assistant named Jess!). Ms. Ambrose grew up in Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago. She was a pleasure to talk to and we all benefited from hearing about how her experiences in Cabrini, though almost 30 years past, still make it into her poems today. You can find her poetry and writing at http://cabrinigreen.webs.com/.
I will end this entry with this email I wrote her as soon as I got back to the office:
Ms. Doreen,
I just wanted to follow up with you because I was so honored to meet you today and as a young poet and writer who is not a native Chicagoan I would love to stay in touch and benefit from your insights, experiences and connections to the city. As I mentioned, I am particularly interested in finding local publishing outlets, where my work would have a chance of being published. I would also be looking to share the few resources that I have gained since being in Chicago. For example, my work at Black Freighter Productions has allowed me to edit two works (one poetry book and one anthology). You can find these by searching my name on amazon.com or at http://www.welovereading.com/. There is a chance we would do another anthology, in which case I would love to see some submissions from you!
Also, I read your piece titled, "Rap in Cabrini Green" and it was one of the best reflections on the journey of rap/rappers and what rap means to rap-lovers today. I also particularly enjoyed your ode to Cabrini Green. I wrote a similar piece, focusing on the process of gentrification occurring in the place that I come from in Tacoma, WA. I hope you enjoy it.
(2009)
Tiffanie Beatty
A young and humble friend in poetry
I remember a specific entry about how I learned the "truth" about what makes a successful leader from Azim Ramelize, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Children and Youth Services and another about time in Pilsen which led me to think about the the role and responsibility of Spanish-language learners in America, and many more about the role of artists in society. Unfortunately, as I rose up through the ranks of responsibility in the office I lost sight (just a little) of the unique access to raw experiences and fresh perspectives that I (not just our students) was meeting in the city in these last couple of years of "program directing."
Don't get me wrong. It's not that I ever forgot that I was learning or that I haven't been inspired to write by the community resources I have met through Chicago Center or experiences I have had in the city. Anyone who was at Chicago Center's 40th Anniversary Gala and heard me spit "Chicago Games" will tell you just the opposite is true. That moment on stage was an instance of extreme pride for me. I felt I had achieved in sharing my gifts with each other. I was in the presence of a community that was built on Chicago Center's mission, legacy and work and I had a place there as a member of the staff that makes student experiences possible, but I was also a poetic voice. It was an amazing opportunity for me. Yet and still, I don't think I have taken full advantage of all of the unique opportunities that lie in being a poet and Chicago Center Program Director. And maybe it's just that I've been trying to master both independently and haven't yet felt comfortable enough yet to bring them together very often. They are very distinct roles and aspects of my identity and I don't want to be perceived as less than professional in either regard, but I have decided I want to work harder to find places where my gifts and identities meet and feed each other.
The experience that was the final straw for motivating this blog entry happened today when I met a poet named Doreen Ambrose (Thanks to a phenomenal class assistant named Jess!). Ms. Ambrose grew up in Cabrini Green housing projects in Chicago. She was a pleasure to talk to and we all benefited from hearing about how her experiences in Cabrini, though almost 30 years past, still make it into her poems today. You can find her poetry and writing at http://cabrinigreen.webs.com/.
I will end this entry with this email I wrote her as soon as I got back to the office:
Ms. Doreen,
I just wanted to follow up with you because I was so honored to meet you today and as a young poet and writer who is not a native Chicagoan I would love to stay in touch and benefit from your insights, experiences and connections to the city. As I mentioned, I am particularly interested in finding local publishing outlets, where my work would have a chance of being published. I would also be looking to share the few resources that I have gained since being in Chicago. For example, my work at Black Freighter Productions has allowed me to edit two works (one poetry book and one anthology). You can find these by searching my name on amazon.com or at http://www.welovereading.com/. There is a chance we would do another anthology, in which case I would love to see some submissions from you!
Also, I read your piece titled, "Rap in Cabrini Green" and it was one of the best reflections on the journey of rap/rappers and what rap means to rap-lovers today. I also particularly enjoyed your ode to Cabrini Green. I wrote a similar piece, focusing on the process of gentrification occurring in the place that I come from in Tacoma, WA. I hope you enjoy it.
An Ode to the neighborhood formerly known as Hilltop
A
battered
(only once) white
woman drags half-black
Children down the steep 8th Street
Slope to sanctuary; past Yakima and
Tacoma Ave., past McDonald’s and County
Jail; past late night basketball at the “Y,” Just
above the industrial site where Father works hard
nights and not far from the strip where Mommy sold a
younger version of her body of dreams to nightmares.
Up on the Hill, young Ismails rumble, tumble, slip into cell
blocks or drown downtown in a sound of blood. Mothers and
Sisters sing from elevated Churches of God in Christ on every other corner,
opposite corner stores— meeting places: Daboshi’s, Crips-aco (Texaco), AM/PM, Hill
Top Pawn Shop on the corner of MLK Way (Used to be K St.) and 12th St (now called Earnest S.
Brazil), “some dead preacher” someone said. Bored black and tan faces stare, rocking tall
red shirts and beanies, blue rags in left pockets. A few O.G.’s remain but the “Down 4 Lyfe” California
Crips are gone like the nineties. No one notices a new college rising on the underside of the slippery slant;
a gourmet coffee and pizza population popping up, condos penetrating the gradient of blocks of bricks
and broken windows. On the Hill, we are multi ethnic, multiracial, poor/working/middle class; we are “a dream
coming true” but we've forgotten old Tuff- Tuff; he's no longer roaming and mumbling and Brown’s closed down; the streets
are much quieter now. Still no one on the Hill knows, cares, thinks about who controls the land. Welcome to Upper Tacoma,
where no one is rising.
(2009)
Tiffanie Beatty
A young and humble friend in poetry
11.10.2010
Chicago Games (Spoken Word poem)
I recited this poem for the Chicago Center community at our 40th Anniversary Celebration at Carnivale. Truly a night to remember...
Chicago Games
Back in the days when I was younger
The dudes used holler
“What up baller?” Whether I was suited up or not,
Even after I stopped balling. But I didn’t mind cause
I know my athletic swag is still easy to peep.
Maybe they seen me with the ball, bouncing, beating the streets
Maybe they heard there wasn’t another girl as dope as me
Heard nobody could hit a turn around jumper as cold as me
Or maybe they just wanted me to know
They noticed me.
Whatever.
The dudes used holler
“What up baller?” Whether I was suited up or not,
Even after I stopped balling. But I didn’t mind cause
I know my athletic swag is still easy to peep.
Maybe they seen me with the ball, bouncing, beating the streets
Maybe they heard there wasn’t another girl as dope as me
Heard nobody could hit a turn around jumper as cold as me
Or maybe they just wanted me to know
They noticed me.
Whatever.
I wish they could’ve sensed my precision and passion for poetry.
Because I mean, I was cool on the court but
I gets down on paper and behind the mic. When I write,
I’m something like Kobe on a good night;
The female version of Shaq combined with Dwight.
I’m Superwoman when I spit. I get to the basket like Garnett
You can’t get past me like Artest.
I’m nasty like Nash and my words pierce like Paul
I’m on like Lebron. I’m tryna tell ya’ll, I ball.
When I slam its… Boom Shakalaka!
NBA Live in this Muthafucka.
Now, I got your favorite poet trying to learn soccer.
And I rep it for the females too so don’t test me
Cause I will come thru and dunk on you like Lisa Leslie
You don’t want me in your set or on your open mic
I’m Scottie Pippen in this game, pass it to me, I’m open Mike!
And if you don’t let me inside, you’re a hater
and the ref gonna call fouling
And I’m still gonna hit from outside
7 times in the first half, Ray Allen.
Yeah, she got game, female Jesus on the court. Basketball is
A jazz mixed with funk mixed with hip-hop type sport
It’s in my blood and the blood of my people
We coulda dominated golf a lot sooner
But basketball was cheaper
But on the South Side, sometimes they don’t understand me cause
when I win its like when the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.
You know I represent but you don’t know quite
How to feel about it. There’s one Black Blackhawk and
He’s half-black like me. Let’s be real about it. And to be honest,
I grew up on Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics.
Unfortunately, my home team no longer exist.
So excuse me when I say I’m on some Bulls shit.
But I’m still fresh in the game, rookie amongst the pros
Though I’m staying in city like my man D. Rose.
At least for now, you know how it goes…
And I know how it feels to play these Chicago games.
Everyday I play these Chicago games.
From 95th to Howard I ride these Chicago trains.
From Ray School to Lane Tech, I watch the future of Chicago dream.
When I visit 116th and Michigan I remember Chicago’s pain.
Because I mean, I was cool on the court but
I gets down on paper and behind the mic. When I write,
I’m something like Kobe on a good night;
The female version of Shaq combined with Dwight.
I’m Superwoman when I spit. I get to the basket like Garnett
You can’t get past me like Artest.
I’m nasty like Nash and my words pierce like Paul
I’m on like Lebron. I’m tryna tell ya’ll, I ball.
When I slam its… Boom Shakalaka!
NBA Live in this Muthafucka.
Now, I got your favorite poet trying to learn soccer.
And I rep it for the females too so don’t test me
Cause I will come thru and dunk on you like Lisa Leslie
You don’t want me in your set or on your open mic
I’m Scottie Pippen in this game, pass it to me, I’m open Mike!
And if you don’t let me inside, you’re a hater
and the ref gonna call fouling
And I’m still gonna hit from outside
7 times in the first half, Ray Allen.
Yeah, she got game, female Jesus on the court. Basketball is
A jazz mixed with funk mixed with hip-hop type sport
It’s in my blood and the blood of my people
We coulda dominated golf a lot sooner
But basketball was cheaper
But on the South Side, sometimes they don’t understand me cause
when I win its like when the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.
You know I represent but you don’t know quite
How to feel about it. There’s one Black Blackhawk and
He’s half-black like me. Let’s be real about it. And to be honest,
I grew up on Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics.
Unfortunately, my home team no longer exist.
So excuse me when I say I’m on some Bulls shit.
But I’m still fresh in the game, rookie amongst the pros
Though I’m staying in city like my man D. Rose.
At least for now, you know how it goes…
And I know how it feels to play these Chicago games.
Everyday I play these Chicago games.
From 95th to Howard I ride these Chicago trains.
From Ray School to Lane Tech, I watch the future of Chicago dream.
When I visit 116th and Michigan I remember Chicago’s pain.
Blair Holt, and the many other names that remain after bodies slain.
On a mural tour in Pilsen with Mr. Guerrero with white kids
On a mural tour in Pilsen with Mr. Guerrero with white kids
from somewhere in Ohio, for that one hour
I’m consumed by Chicago’s power.
In exposing the prairie fields of culture and history
I’m contributing to the unveiling of an American mystery.
From Mag Mile to Maxwell Street, every purchase is Chicago’s gift to me.
From the Green Mill to Verbal Balance, I am an inhabitant and participant
In a poetic movement birthed and bred in Chicago.
So it’s only right I get down like a pothole.
I soak up game like I stepped in it with my sock, joe.
Then I take that Chicago swag I everywhere that I go.
All around the city, like I'm riding I-GO.
In exposing the prairie fields of culture and history
I’m contributing to the unveiling of an American mystery.
From Mag Mile to Maxwell Street, every purchase is Chicago’s gift to me.
From the Green Mill to Verbal Balance, I am an inhabitant and participant
In a poetic movement birthed and bred in Chicago.
So it’s only right I get down like a pothole.
I soak up game like I stepped in it with my sock, joe.
Then I take that Chicago swag I everywhere that I go.
All around the city, like I'm riding I-GO.
When I go back to the west coast, I take Chicago home.
When I roam in places like Madrid and Rome,
I talk Chicago like I’m on my 773 Chicago phone. And when I return
To my Hyde Park apartment to write my Chicago poem
I feel the weight on my broad shoulders like Chicago knows
I’m Michael Jordan in this game. I’m Chicago’s best.
Best in the game, best ever. Yes, I’m blessed. Because
The blood I spill on this paper and stage
is the same blood that runs through Blago’s veins;
The blood of the Stones, the G.D.'s, the CPD
In the streets, all playing these Chicago games.
Spraying the same blood that spilled from
Derrion Albert’s young Chicago brains.
The same blood that funded the 2016 Chicago Games;
South Side infrastructure that never came.
But as long as I’m here I’m gonna play these
Chicago games and I’m gonna dominate
Like I’m tryna bring Chicago fame.
I’m from Tacoma but I do my Chicago thang.
And poetry is how I play this Chicago game
I play for Chicago. I’m on Chicago’s team.
So if I lose anything, I just pray Chicago gains.
(2010)
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