Tuesday, February 16, 2010

have you heard any good poetry, lately?



I was reviewing and vetting creative writings for an anthology recently, a process that left me wondering, wondering what is the purpose of this poem? what is the purpose of this short story? why am I reading this? is this of interest? should it be? So, I thought, to restore my faith, I'd post some inspiring creative work by a young Canadian female spoken word artist that says something, that tells me something, that gives me something to think about, that leaves us with something to think about, as Canadians, as thinkers, as readers, as listeners, as denizens of a shared world of contradictions, of unresolved injustices, of increasing intolerance in Canada, especially of Palestine. Starting with our government.

Rafeef Ziadah Toronto spoken word poet, 3rd generation Palestinian refugee:

"We are encouraged to think that poetry shouldn't make sense
and shouldn't move people to action, it's simply self-expression for the sake of art itself. Not to say that artists shouldn't be true to themselves, but when I'm on stage I am not providing a product for consumption, rather a story and a way to connect that story to the audience. It's finding that balance between what's inside you and what message you want to put out and putting it in a way people can relate to and understand."


Shades of Anger: This poem emerged after Rafeef was kicked in the gut by a student at York U in Toronto, who said she deserved to be raped before she birthed her terrorist children.

7 comments:

tasteofbeirut said...

Taina
Sometimes your posts remind me of a reality I just assume forget or bury. This woman is so beautiful and talented, I was so moved.

Katja Maki said...

Thank you for this post. Rafeef Ziadah is so talented. Her work is phenomenal and so needed during this time of Palestinian persecution and marginalization. We need to hear her voice!

northshorewoman said...

this young woman's words are much needed. Very beautiful and strong, clawing at our consciousness.

Ari said...

I have heard extremely good poetry.
A very good and creative poet from U.S. has renamed even wars and massacres and he is a many-talented person. His achievements for peace of world have been worth Nobel prize. Now he has perfectly succeeded
in poetry; so why not a new Nobel prize (or Pulitzer).

northshorewoman said...

Ari, who are you refering to?

Ari said...

Barack Obama: "Operation New Dawn",
what a heavenly name !

northshorewoman said...

oh yes, i thought you might mean Obama but I then I thought he's not a poet. he's a rhetorician, a user of language that captivates us and has force and convinces us yet sometimes does not deliver its promise or punch.