Interview with Poet Amena Brown

We deeply appreciate Amena granting us the opportunity to interview her. We asked her about doing the interview at an event she did here in Oklahoma City. Her performance was powerful.

Thanks to Sean Johnson for handling the interview.

Sean Johnson: How did poetry become your platform?

Amena Brown: I’ve always loved writing poems. I started writing poetry pretty regularly at around 12 years old. I don’t know that I ever thought of it as a platform, but it’s something I love to do. When I was in my freshman year of college and went to my first real open mic at Moorepics in Atlanta, I felt like people crowded into poetry events because they were looking for the truth. I believed then and still believe now that spoken word is a great vehicle to express the truth of who God really is.

SJ: Do you remember the first poem you ever wrote? Quote your favorite line from it.

AB: Oh man, the first poem I ever wrote was about Dr. King in the fourth grade. Don’t remember that one. But the first performance piece I ever wrote was called “Chocolate Mista.” Definitely wrote that after watching the movie Love Jones. lol My favorite line was, his eyes and my eyes/they met like the sun and the moon exchanging high fives/Just before it is the moon’s time to shine. I literally had to dig through some files to find that one!

SJ: If you had $5 to your name, what would you spend it on?

AB: Probably gas and/or some bargain food at Kroger or Wal-Mart. I have had to learn to shop on just a little bit of cash. lol

SJ: Describe what comes to mind when I say…“Calvary”?

AB: Splintered cross. Pain. Rejection. Jesus. Saving. Grace. Love. Undeserved.

SJ: How in the world do you remember ALL of those words when you perform live?

AB: Truthfully, nine times out of ten, I don’t. (Laughing) Most of the time I forget something but the good thing about performing poetry is that it’s not a song. No one knows it word for word to recognize if I leave out a line or totally forgot a section. This happens nearly every time I perform. (laughing) The rhythm of the piece plus handwriting each one helps me to remember most of it. Sometimes I’m closing my eyes to remember a line from a section by picturing the paper I wrote the poem on.

SJ: What are your major influences when it comes to writing poetry?

AB: I write to jazz music, specifically John Coltrane and Miles Davis. I write to their music a lot as well as hip hop. Some of my rhythm and word choice comes from my love of hip hop style of writing. Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, The Pharcyde, Andre 3000, and Cee-lo Green are several of the emcees whose writing I really admire. Some poets I love and was definitely influenced by are Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, Sonia Sanchez and William Carlos Williams. There are two preaching women I watched growing up and now looking back on it, I think they really influenced how I carry myself on stage: Dr. Claudette Copeland (co-pastor of the church I grew up, New Creation Christian Fellowship) and Dr. Cynthia James.

SJ: Finish this sentence – in 2 and Half years time I hope to be________?

AB: Finished writing a book. A home owner. Host an event or series of events that brings artists and art lovers from diverse backgrounds together.

SJ: What are your three most favorite words in the English language? Why?

AB: Creativity, because for me it is essential to life. Soul, because it reminds of good music. Pen, because i have to have one. Can’t leave home without it. lol

SJ: Did OJ (Simpson) do it?

AB: Man, I’m not even gonna touch that one. lol

SJ: Alright, now to test your skills – can you freestyle a short poem referencing apples, baby
ducks, and Fruit Roll-Ups? (I’m laughing)

AB: First of all, I don’t freestyle. It will take me FOREVER to write this as it does the rest of the poems. (Laughing)

elementary school taught me a few things
1. know what your worth
never trade a strawberry fruit roll-up for anything less than strawberry gushers
don’t settle for anything less
2. trade up
if an apple will be traded up for say a pack of chips ahoy,
it must be paired with say pringles or ridged lay’s chips in ziploc bag
learn to negotiate
3. story time
there was once a baby duck who consider himself ugly
turns out he wasn’t an ugly duckling
he just needed to discover who he really was…a swan
always be yourself, just like God made you

That definitely took me twenty minutes to write. Sigh. (Laughing)

Visit Amena Brown at amenabrown.com and you can also catch her on Twitter at twitter.com/amenabee.

Women of Color: Empowerment Conference

Click on flyer for bigger view.

You don’t want to miss this event. Please come out and be EMPOWERED! We welcome you to RSVP here.

6th Annual
Women of Color
Empowerment Conference
Mind, Body and Soul
Saturday, March 13, 2010
9:00a – 4:00p
Langston Urban Center – Oklahoma City, OK.
Advance Registration – $30 (thru 2/20/10)
Registration – $40 (2/21/10 – 3/12/10)
On Site – $50

Ticket Price Information – Tickets will be available at several locations….will update you as soon as they are available.

If you would like to be a vendor: Contact Vivian Woodward – Prosperity Real Estate at 427-7444 or 623-1957

911 Event this Saturday, March 6, 2010: Don’t Miss it!

We are excited about helping raise funds to support a school being built in Kenya. We are partnering with Maisha International Orphanage. The goal is to raise $3000. We need to have 300 people attend this event. It will be a great event for a great CAUSE. Oklahoma City, let’s make this happen!

EVENT DETAILS:
Date – MARCH 6TH, 2010
Time – 6PM
Event Name – 911
9 ARTISTS – 1 NIGHT – 1 CAUSE
“A KINDERGARTEN IN KENYA”
for maishainternational.org
all admission proceeds go towards CAUSE
VENUE: FRONTLINE (Directions)
Admission $10
———————————————–
Artists include:
BEN FREEMAN benfreemanmusic.com
HOLLOW myspace.com/hollowrock
CALANDRA WILLIAMS myspace.com/calandramusic
MATTY V http://www.myspace.com/mattyvpoetry
SHAUN ALI myspace.com/shaunalimusic
MJ myspace.com/mjoommenmusic
DENVER DUNCAN http://wwwmyspace.com/denverduncanmusic
ADAM L
JENNA DAVIS myspace.com/jennadavismusic

Michael Manasseh: Loving Hip-Hop & Design

I first heard Michael Manasseh on the mic at We Tell Stories Poetry Night. I first experienced his design work from a good friend. With the combination of loving hip hop and being a graphic designer, it intrigued me and I had to do an interview with Manasseh. Of course, I consider both lines of work to be artsy and we know how I dig art of all sorts.

Heady: What influenced you to get into the design business?

Manasseh: I have always been a fan of art. I tried for several years to find my creative “vein” if you will, but all to no avail. But honestly, I would have to say the “main” driving factor would have to be the lack of the ability to pay for the level of design work I wanted done.

Being a musician first, I would find myself trying to reach out to friends who were in design or others for there design help and either getting the cold shoulder or being told a price I couldn’t afford. And since I already had the desire to be an artist, it just started making since to pursue the graphic art world for myself, and now that I do it full time, I realize where those “high prices” came from. There is a lot of hard work and time spent when doing professional design work! I have just made it my personal mission to provide payment plans and design packages that will try and meet both mine and my clients needs.

H: Who has influenced you the most in the design game?

M: That comes as a two part answer. One would be my good friend and fellow puzzle person Vernon (OB-ONE) Deas. He has been doing amazing design work for a long time! He also was an inspiration for me to become a designer as well! Credit where it is due!

But over, all hands down, the biggest influence for me in the design game is a guy named Scott Hansen. He goes by iso50 (http://blog.iso50.com/). He is by far one of the most innovative designers in the design world today by far!

H: Are you a PC or MAC kinda guy?

M: I have had two PC’S crash on me in the past. That will never happen again! I find the OSX operating system to be leaps and bounds ahead of any other OS available today. It actually does what it suppose to do, operate. You know what they say, “once you go Mac, you never go back!”

H: What do you think about the new iPhone software update?

M: HAHAHA! Wow, that is a touchy question! I love my IPHONE and over all I have had great experiences with APPLE products in the past, but like I said earlier I switched to APPLE not because it looked way cooler than any dull boxy pc could, but because I found there equipment to be the best.

I think the iphone has some of the most advanced features a mobile device has ever had to date. But come on guys, no MMS? no tethering? no video? are you serious? This causes me to question whether or not there might be a better phone out there, and if I find it, I might just switch. And another thing, if the missing features can be activated when the phone is jail broken, then that means it can be activated when its not jail broken, which brings me to the actual question…What do I think of AT&T for not offering all the new features on there precious service plan? Don’t even get me started!

H: Tell about the concept behind the From The Future design you recently did.

M: Well JABEE left this project design totally up to me, from coming up with the title to creating the visual elements.

I really believe in Him and have a feeling that he will do big things in the music business in the near “future” so the concept is that Jabee and friends are coming “from the future” to the present to do a show in LA. They are the future of music and they have come back to the present to rock Cali. I also wanted to present a certain classic feel to it, not some super bright neon stereotypical future theme. Thats why I chose the fonts I did and used a muted neon color palette.

H: When did you fall in love with hip hop?

M: Fell in love when I first heard beastie boys license to ill!
Decided it was what I wanted to do/be the first time I heard WU-TANG’S classic song “C.R.E.A.M.”

H: Design & hip hop so mesh and compliment one another.

M: Yeah they do, well at least they should. I often wish they did more consistently though. There is a lot of horribly designed hip hop cd’s, posters, sites, etc. out there! I think a lot of the time people are not willing or don’t have the means to invest in there music so they get a bootlegged version of PHOTOSHOP and go to town! And we end up with a bunch of weed leaves, fake diamonds, grungy cheese ball fonts and horrible blending effects. I think in there essence’s though they are both forms of art. When blended correctly and professionally, they compliment each other beautifully.

H: What’s your favorie album to listen while designing?

M: Depends, if I am doing something for a musician, I will listen to that musicians music for inspiration and to catch the feeling there project brings, but if thats not available or I am doing a non musical project I will listen to something laid back, maybe some down tempo electronic music or some chilled out jazz, something that is not to busy and allows me to completely focus on the design.

H: What is Puzzle People?

M: Puzzle People is a movement, its a collection of mc’s, producers, dj’s, artist, designers, and promoters. That have joined forces to unite the Hip-Hop music scene in Okc and to network and share our talents. But more than that we are a family.

H: If you had a choose one over the other, which would it be design or writing lyrics?

M: Hmm good question! I would have to say that It would have to be designing at this point in time. I kind of wavier on this topic but…yeah designing wins! I will always be an mc, but I am more passionate about design these days.

H: Does hip-hop really have a place in the Kingdom of God?

M: Absolutely! I never really have been able to understand where people get the idea it doesn’t! I mean I believe that as followers of Jesus we must first find our identity in Christ, but even in the new testament Paul refers to people by there cultural identity. He always refer to the “church of Corinthians” for example. I think it’s a big mistake to preach or believe that its God’s will to make us all become part of some “church culture” yes we have fellowship with other believers but who I was in the world is still who I am in Christ, I have just been changed. Just like any other culture or sub culture there are elements that don’t glorify God and we as people who first identify ourselves with Him we are told to put to death the sinful elements of our lives. But as long as Christ is the Lord of your life then it really doesn’t matter what you do, because if its wrong or evil then He will move on you and help you to change. He is after our hearts, not just our actions! I am even more involved in the hip hop culture now then ever before, I am a born again christian, and follower of Christ, I am a mc, I am a producer, it does not have to be one or the other.

H: We should team up on a flyer just for art sake or maybe a design slash hip hop show.

M: That would be great! I am all the way in!

H: How can people check out your work?

M: By going to http://www.soulmana.com/ and clicking on the design portfolio button.

H: When will you be performing again in the O City area? Where?

M: We (puzzle people) do at least one show a month, sometimes two or three at Sauced in the Paseo arts district in Oklahoma City. I usually perform and/or host the events. check out my site and www.wearepuzzlepeople.com for weekly updates on concerts, album releases, free downloads etc.!

H: When you hear the name Jesus, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

M: Love

Acoustic: An Interview with Jenna Davis

Once I heard Jenna, I knew I had to interview. There is something about an artist that can just grab an acoustic guitar and perform. It isn’t so much of performing but drawing people in. Yes, a good voice is needed as well. The ability to engage the audience is a needed component as well. After the night I had the opportunity to see Jenna, I begin my search to land her for an interview. Welcome Jenna Davis.

Heady: Where you happy with who won American Idol?

Jenna: Actually, I didn’t watch much of American Idol this season…But, I hear that the guy who won is a follower of Jesus, so I was pretty happy about that! Hopefully, given this great new platform, he can have a positive influence on the music industry.

H: I’m a big fan of the acoustic guitar. How long have you been playing?

J: Almost 8 years! I started my junior year of High School.

H: When did you write your first song?

J: I think a few months after I learned the guitar, so when I was about 15 or 16. It seemed like God just opened up the door of my creativity as soon as my fingers hit the strings!

H: I’m sitting here listening to Anyway. Give me the story behind this song.

J: A old band member of mine and I used to have writing sessions out by the pool at my house. One day he just started playing the chord progression, I got out my notepad, and the lyrics followed pretty quickly. I think it’s one of my favorite “jam” songs. It can groove really well, and also “rock-out”

H: My buddy and I were at the Invisible Children Benefit. What did you think about Adam L. & Live Society?

J: Oh-my-goodness! Amazing. I think Adam L and those guys are such incredible musicians! Their music is so different and unique, it’s impossible not to like it!

H: Who is on your Ipod rotation pretty heavy right now?

J: All of the Jon Foreman(of Switchfoot) “seasons” EP albums! He is an awesome songwriter; he has such a gift for combining craft, great production, and freedom of expression in his writing!

H: You’ve lead worship before. What’s the objective of a worship leader?

J: I believe the ultimate objective and goal of the ‘worship leader’ should be–to be a ‘worshipper’. It is a privilege to direct others’ hearts, souls and minds to The Father, and to worship Him in spirit and in truth, so we should always lead with grace and humility.

H: Understanding your background as a worship leader, do you still consider yourself an artist?

J: I think I would say I am an artist, because all of my life is nothing without Jesus, “the Creator of art”- so the songs that I am given to write and perform, I want to be offered as worship to Him, just as much as the songs sung by the corporate Body of Christ in a worship service.

H: I’m super digging Fight for Me.

J: Thanks! I really love that song. It’s one of those songs that, as I sing it, I am reminded of how amazing God is, to help us in our weakness, and always fight for our hearts!

H: I read somewhere Kamikazee was your favorite hip-hop artist.

J: Yes, Kamikazee and I have been good friends for quite a while and he is one of the reasons I started loving hip-hop! He speaks with great clarity, and is such a lover of Jesus, that you can’t be around him 10 minutes without knowing what he lives for!

H: We love Kamikazee. He has great passion. Who are some other hip-hop artists you enjoy jammin out to?

J: John Reuben, Lauren Hill, Adam L and Cam are some of my other faves!

H: Where can people come check Jenna out live next?

J: We Tell Stories Poetry Night! July 25th! I am currently leading worship for the youth at Cherokee Hills Baptist Church once or twice a month, playing a camp this summer, and will most likely be touring with some other awesome musicians on The Community Tour this fall!

H: Where can people hear more of you online?

J: myspace.com/jennadavismusic has all of my music available for listening and/or download via SNOcap, jennadavismusic.com and also on itunes.

H: I don’t want to leave without you telling us a little about the conference you’re starting.

J: I really have a passion to see the young people of this generation stop believing the lies our culture tells us, and stand up for the truth of God; So I am starting a weekend girl’s conference to travel from youth group to youth group, teaching and encouraging girls to live lives of purity and holiness, and to be set apart from the world!

H: Let me end by saying you would be perfect for a heady tee. Do you own one? Lol…

J: Not yet! But I would wear one proudly!

H: Share with the b7 audience your favorite word.

J: That’s such a hard question! I have to pick just one? hmm….I think I’ll go with “supercalifragialisticexpialadotious”. Has that one already been used?

We Tell Stories Poetry Night Pictures: November 28, 2009

It’s so much fun attending We Tell Stories Poetry Night. What a “healthy & safe” alternative it is. We hope to see you next month. CLICK HERE for more pictures. Every picture was taken by the WONDERFUL Patricia Smith.

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