The I In Writing

Nov 6, 2017 |

As the cliche goes, I remember the night like it was yesterday. It was the mid-2000s. I was standing outside the Johannesburg City Hall smoking a cigarette with a friend, Zee. I don’t know if he remembers the night but I do, although I don’t quite remember why we were there on a nondescript Joburg night, other than that there was a gala event of sorts to celebrate South Africa’s literati. I also remember that Professor Kgositsile Keorapetse was being named South Africa’s poet laureate. There was a time when I dabbled in the poetry world?—?well, dabbled isn’t quite it but my efforts often...

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The Artist Known As Saul Williams

Jun 17, 2015 | ,

Saul Williams. His influence as a poet permeated the Joburg scene following the release of the film Slam. Many a young poet found voice out of his unwavering desire to share his voice. The power of his words force you to listen and his willingness to draw influence without boundary, speaking truth to power with a confidence that many of us wish we had. I listened to his first album Amethyst Rock Star repeatedly for a year and always found something new in the spaces between the words. And when I listen to it today, it still, at times violently, grabs at my beliefs and forces me to reflect on...

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Poem: Shane Koyczan – To This Day Project

Feb 23, 2013 | ,

A friend tweeted me a poem. The tweet said, "You're into spoken word. How's this for art." I'd never heard of Shane Koyczan until the moment I pressed play, and I am better for it. When someone uses the right words to paint emotions in such a way that, even if it isn't your reality, you feel ... it is an amazing experience. To This Day Project is a poem from the Canadian poet, author and performer to highlight the impact of bullying on children and how this affects their lives into adulthood. A beautifully written poem, poignant, sad and painfully honest....

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Random Thoughts: Writer’s Block

Oct 22, 2012 |

Sitting staring at a blank screen, trying to decide on what to blog about – that won’t take a couple of hours -, I expressed my frustration on twitter. Close to instantly, I received 3 responses that all said I should blog about writer’s block itself. Joburg Theatre: writers block and the concept of "inspiration" Spillly: blog about the pressure we put upon ourselves to blog & tweet even if we have nothing to share. Andre van Rooyen: Writers block? I mean, as a subject 🙂 Here’s my two cents. It is amusing how much people take certain things so personally. Since I started calling myself...

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Performance Poetry vs Spoken Word

Jul 24, 2012 | ,

In response to my post inviting requests for blog posts on specific topics, I was asked to share my thoughts on ‘performance poetry vs spoken word’. It has been a while since I was involved in the poetry scene and, therefore, I’m out of touch with what the trends, thoughts, etc. that currently exist within the scene. Having gone from regularly writing, performing, promoting and hosting shows, and doing a lot of poetry in corporate spaces, I’ve been on an indefinite sabbatical/ retirement, so my views might be out-dated and/or out of sync with those who are driving the word forward. I...

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Taking Blog Post Requests

Jul 8, 2012 |

The whole blogging thing is a minefield. I often question whether what I add to ether is adding value or simply adding to the incessant noise. I started my first one around 2005 and focused on the happenings in the poetry scene, which I was very involved with then. I shared random thoughts and did book, CD and DVD reviews. My next one was a poetry blog where I attempted to post a poem a day – usually of my unedited work that I wrote during my writing sessions. Since then, I’ve blogged on MySpace and Wordpress before finally settling on this blog as my central engagement point with the world...

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